Wild
by angelrider13
Summary: They were isolated, silent, deadly. They were Wild. But they weren't always. There was a Before. Before the fire and the death and the loneliness. Back when they could pretend to be human. Can they learn again? Or are they too far gone? AU of Soulmates!verse. First two chapters originally posted in Deepest of Ties.
1. Wild

**Hello everyone!  
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**If you were brought here from my most recent update to _The Deepest of Ties_, then I love you and everything about you is perfection. Here's a cookie. If not, have a cookie anyway!  
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**This was originally just supposed to be a one-shot and was published as such in the above mentioned fic. However, the plot has seemed to developed a mind of it's own and the demand for it was so great, that I have decided to publish it as it's own story.  
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**So, things you need to know.  
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**This story is an AU based partially on the fic I wrote titled _The Pure and the Tainted_. You do NOT need to read that story to understand this one, but if you want to, feel free. Ace is about fifteen; Luffy's twelve.  
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******Warnings: implied violence, talk of large-scale massacre, Tenryubito being Tenryubito (aka the biggest dicks on the planet), angst with a side of fluff**

******Yep. That's about it. So enjoy!  
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******Disclaimer: Nada.  
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******ONWARD!**

* * *

_**~Wild~**_

_Strangers are on their island. Powerful strangers that smell of the sea and freedom._

* * *

When the Whitebeard Pirates stop at the deserted island, they don't expect to find much. Maybe some edible wildlife to add to the all-important food supply, a little downtime to explore and relax. But life has this thing about going as planned; it doesn't. Ever.

So when the infamous pirate crew arrive at this island, obviously, nothing will turn out the way they expect it to.

Because life is a bitch like that.

But sometimes – just _some_, mind – that isn't always a bad thing.

Thatch is convinced the island is out to get them.

That's the _third_ time a tree has almost crushed him. Once is happenstance. Twice is a coincidence. Three times? Someone is clearly trying to get rid of them.

"I'm serious, Vista," he says, glaring at the tree that just missed him, "Something's going on here."

Vista just sighs. "I'm not saying you're wrong," he placates, "I'm just saying you don't need to go off on a tangent every time something tries to kill you."

Thatch's eyes narrow. "So you admit something is trying to kill me."

Vista just rolls his eyes.

"You guys coming or what?" Haruta calls from up ahead.

Thatch huffs. "We're coming, we're coming."

The three continue their trek through the woods, until the fourth tree falls. Vista holds up a hand before Thatch even opens his mouth.

"Don't even say it. We get it," he says.

"Something is weird though," Haruta comments, "It feels like we're being watched."

"See!" Thatch practically yells, pointing in the female commander's direction.

"Thatch, we know you aren't actually threatened by falling trees, so please stop being overdramatic," Haruta deadpans.

Thatch pouts. "Fine."

No sooner is the word out of his mouth when a series of loud cracks echoes above them. Without even thinking about it, the three commanders jump aside, large, _flaming_ branches landing where they had been standing just moments ago. Searching the trees, Thatch catches the outline of a person, sharp intense eyes glaring down at him.

"There!" he calls right as the figure takes off into the trees.

The three of them take off after it, surprised by its agility. They run to a cliff and when they look up, they see a boy at the top. He's somewhere in his mid-teens with dark hair and deep brown eyes. The freckles that are spattered across his cheeks should make him look childish, but don't as he stares blankly down at them, expression impassive, but eyes dark and dangerous. He's shirtless, wearing only a pair of black shorts and black flats, a string of red beads hanging around his neck, an orange elbow guard on his left arm. Something black is visible on his left upper arm, it looks like a tattoo of some kind, a series of letters, but they are too far away to make out exactly what it is. He's carrying what looks like a piece of pipe, long enough to be used as a staff.

Before anything can be said, the boy pushes a large bolder over the edge of the cliff, the movement starting a small avalanche. When the commanders look up after the rocks have cleared, the boy is gone.

"Looks like this island isn't as deserted as we thought," Thatch says seriously, "And it looks like we aren't exactly welcome."

* * *

Marco sighs mentally as Izo continues to complain behind him. If it was such as hassle to come, why did he? But Marco bites his tongue, knowing this will just get him even more complaints. Ones that will be directed straight at him.

He's distracted by the sight that greets them when they clear the tree line.

It's a village. Or what used to be a village anyway. It looks like it's been abandoned for years. The buildings are in ruins, crumbling and charred. Plants have begun growing over everything, weaving their way through streets, around fences, between stones. Marco and Izo exchange silent glances before they begin shifting through the ruins.

"This was an attack," Izo comments softly, voice carrying in the silence, "I wonder what happened."

Marco stills as a soft sound reached his ears. "Do you hear that?"

Izo stops and perks up, listening.

The sound of soft humming filtered through the quiet. The sound was high and clearly had no rhythm, but it was light and happy. Curious, the two commanders follow the humming. Slowly and carefully, they make their way to the edge of the destroyed village. What they see stuns them.

It's a grave site.

And it's _massive_.

There are well over one hundred markers and it's not hard to guess that these used to be the people that lived in the village. The odd thing is, that, unlike the village, the graves have been maintained, cared for. The soft humming echoes between the markers and it isn't long before a young boy wanders into view. He's small, eleven or twelve years at the oldest, and skinny. He's shirtless, wearing only a pair of worn, blue shorts and a pair of sandals. A straw hat that is a bit too big for him covers a head of tangled black locks. His face is round and childish, wide eyes shining with happy innocence, a small scar under his left eye. He carries a long, staff-like pipe in one hand and a bag in the other. He walks among the graves, stopping at each marker and reaching into the bag, pulling out a rock or a flower or some other kind of trinket and placing it on the marker before moving onto the next one, humming a tune that is starting to sound like an old pirate song.

"Isn't this island supposed to be deserted?" murmurs Izo.

"Apparently not," Marco replies.

They must not have been as silent as they thought they were, because the boy suddenly freezes, straightening up and glancing in their direction. A number of emotions flash across his face, surprise, curiosity, and fear among them. He drops the bag, gripping his metal staff with both hands as he falls into a fighting stance, wide eyes never leaving them.

Marco immediately holds his hands up. "Easy," he says, "We're not here to hurt you."

The boy tilts his head to the side slightly, focusing solely on Marco. The Phoenix suddenly feels an unknown weight on him as the boy's eyes lock on his, searching. After what seems like hours to Marco, the little boy nods, slowly dropping his stance, tearing his eyes away and picking up his bag again, continuing as he was before. Marco can breathe again after the boy removes his eyes, and he wonders what just happened. He felt as if had been laid bare in front of this child, that he was able to see everything with a single glance.

"You alright?" Izo asks, noticing his slightly shaken expression as the boy starts humming again.

"Yeah," Marco says, his eyes following the boy's every move.

When the boy finishes his strange task, he bounces over to them and grins, all traces of earlier caution gone as he examines the pair of them, sounds of wonder and curiosity escaping his mouth. But not once does the boy speak.

"Do you have a name?" Izo asks when the boy pokes at one of his guns. The boy just grins and doesn't say a word.

"Can you speak?" Marco tries.

The boy just covers his mouth with his hands and giggles.

"I wonder if he can even understand us," Izo says.

Marco sighs. "I don't know. What should we do with him though? We haven't seen anyone else on this island. Can we just leave him here?"

"Well, it's clear he's been managing on his own fine," Izo comments, "But maybe bring him back to the ship and see what Oyaji thinks?"

The boy whirls around and looks up at Izo, eyes wide and a sound of wonderment escaping his lips. Izo blinks in confusion at the sudden excitement of the child, but Marco grins.

"Ship?" he asks. And sure enough, the boy turns to him, practically bouncing in place. "Do you want to see our ship?"

The boy nods, grabbing Marco's hand and tugging on it eagerly.

"Well I guess that answers that question," Izo says with a grin.

* * *

They reach the ship at the same time as Thatch's group. The little boy runs ahead, eyes wide with excitement, as the ship comes into view.

"So you found one too?" Haruta asks.

Marco frowns at her. "Too? You mean there's another one?"

"Yes," Vista says, "A little older than yours. Not nearly as friendly though."

Thatch snorts. "Friendly? The brat tried to kill us with trees, flaming branches, and rocks!"

"Well this kid didn't exactly welcome us either," Izo buts in before Thatch can get started on a full blown rant, "He looked ready to attack us when we first found him. One look at Marco, though and we've got the happy, bouncy kid you see now."

That statement gets raised eyebrows.

"How does that work?" Thatch asks.

Marco frowns. "I don't know. I can tell you one thing though, this kid isn't normal," Marco pauses, pressing his lips, "When he looked at me…it was like he was seeing _all_ of me. I don't really know how to explain it."

Before anyone can comment, yells start coming from the ship.

"What the – !"

"Is that a kid?"

"Where the hell'd that kid come from?"

Marco sighed. "Let's go before they hurt themselves."

When the five commanders pull themselves up on deck, the sight that greets them is an interesting one. The kid is running around the deck, looking at anything and everything, while several of the crew attempt to catch him. Attempt being the key word. The boy somehow manages to escape every single time, no one ever managing to lay a hand on him.

He looks up and his eyes widen before he practically dives at Marco, yanking insistently at his sleeve and pointing up. The Phoenix follows his finger and sees that he is pointing at their jolly roger. But he doesn't look scared. In fact, he looks excited.

"Hm? That's our flag," he says, "We're pirates."

The boy grins, showing his pearly whites, eyes wide with wonder and curiosity. He points at the tattoo on Marco's chest and then points back to the flag.

Marco nods. "This tattoo is our mark," he explains, "Everyone in the crew wears it somewhere, either on their body or clothes."

He boy looks thoughtful for a moment, like he's mulling over Marco's words. Then he takes Marco's hand and pulls him to Thatch. He takes the Fourth Division Commander's hand and puts it on Marco's, before he pulls in Haruta. The others look on confused at what the silent boy is doing, but Marco thinks he understands.

"Family?" he asks.

The boy stops in the process of dragging Izo and Vista over and nods at Marco, pointing to his tattoo and then the commander's connected hands.

"Oh, so that's what he's asking," Thatch says, tugging his hand free. He kneels down in front of the kid and winks. "You bet, kid. We're all nakama. It means we're family. Our captain is our Oyaji and we're his sons."

"And daughters," Haruta adds.

The boy beams like they've just said the most wonderful thing.

"Speaking of," Marco says, "We need to report in."

"How 'bout it, kid?" Thatch asks, grinning, "Wanna meet Oyaji?"

The kid nods enthusiastically, grin never leaving his face, and he eagerly follows the commanders. When they reach Whitebeard, he stares, eyes going wide, jaw going slack. He tugs on Marco's shirt until the man looks down at him and then he throws his arms wide in the universal gesture for 'big', wonder clearly visible in his expression. Marco just chuckles at him.

"Well this is unexpected," Whitebeard says, eyeing the boy, who stares right back at him, completely unafraid and not even slightly intimidated.

"Found him on the island," Marco explains, "We came across a village, or what used to be one anyway. Massive grave site as well. Found this little guy wondering around, leaving trinkets on the markers."

Whitebeard looks down at the boy. "Paying our respects were we?"

The boy smiles, a positive hum sounding through his lips.

"We also haven't been able to get a word out of him," Izo adds, "But it's clear he's not mute."

"He's also not the only one," Thatch pipes up, "We ran into another boy, bit older than him, but a lot less friendly. Dropped a few trees and a ton of rocks on us."

The sound of laughter has them all turning to the boy and when he notices their looks, he throws his hands over his mouth in an attempt to smother himself.

"I'm guessing that they know each other," Vista deadpans.

"So it would seem," Haruta agrees.

Whitebeard eyes the boy, his gaze lingering on the straw hat covering his hair. "So you live on the island, boy?"

Looking up at being addressed, the kid nods.

"That straw hat you've got looks familiar," the Yonko continues, aware of the way the boy perks up at the mention of the hat, "Looks just like the one a brat named Shanks I know used to wear."

The boy practically glows at the mention of Shanks, pulling the too big hat further down over his head, a large smile forming on his face. His reaction earns a few chuckles from the surrounding crew.

Before anything else can be said though, the five commanders surrounding the kid are forced to jump away from him when a fireball comes flying right at them, scorching the deck where they were just standing. There's an inhuman growling and suddenly another boy is standing between them and the kid, flames licking across his arms and shoulders. Thatch, Haruta, and Vista immediately recognize him as the boy they encountered earlier. But he's different now. Now he has large black wings and crimson horns. A black tail has sprouted as well and his dark brown eyes are now a glowing, bloody red. Whispers break out among the crew and some even show fear at the appearance of an entity most believe to be a myth in this day and age. The Demon. He snarls at them, charging forward with a deadly swing of the metal staff in his hands.

The boy is strong, to say the least. Far stronger than anyone his age should be. He comes very close to landing a few blows on the five commanders, whom he is fighting all at once, though the commanders are reluctant to raise their hands against the boy. He lunges at the closest pirate, who happens to be Marco, when it happens.

"ACE!"

The one word echoes over the sudden silence of the ship.

And suddenly, the younger boy is between Marco and the attacking Demon, his own staff raised to catch the one coming down, and the crew realizes it was the boy who called out. The older boy's – Ace? – eyes widen and he leaps back, away from the commanders, the younger boy between them. Ace glares, crimson eyes burning . The boy shakes his head.

The pirates watch as the two stare each other down, expressions changing, eyes burning, an occasional hand raised in some sort of gesture. But neither of them speak. Ace shakes his head furiously, making to charge again, but the boy cuts him off, white wings suddenly exploding from his back to box the older boy in. Ace snarls, crimson eyes flashing, as he skids to a halt in front of the younger. The crew can only stare at the events unfolding before them.

They have the Angel and the Demon on their ship. At the same time. There are old stories about these two; most of the world doesn't believe in them these days, but the evidence is staring them right in the face. The Angel and Demon are famous for their bloody battles and they can't help but wonder if one is about to take place.

Ace glares furiously at the smaller boy in front of him, who glares right back, crimson meeting silver. Neither of them move for the longest time until the younger subtly gestures in Whitebeard's direction. Ace frowns, almost reluctantly turning his glare to the Yonko. The crew tenses, waiting for an attack while Whitebeard just sits back and passively watches the little Demon in front of him. Slowly, his glare softens and his posture relaxes. Whitebeard is caught off guard by the spark of pure _awe_ he sees in the boy's glowing eyes. Ace turns back to the younger boy, who is watching him curiously. Finally, he sighs and nods. The younger boy beams and closes his wings around the Demon in some sort of odd embrace before the feathery white appendages pull back, sliding back under skin and the silver fades from his eyes. When Ace is revealed, his wings are gone and he looks like a normal kid again. Brown eyes open and stare at the boy in front of him. He shakes his head before making his way to the railing, perching on it and watching the crew carefully. His eyes are distrustful and his body language is protective. The message is quite clear.

_You hurt him, you die._

The boy either doesn't notice or completely ignores the threat that radiates off Ace, instead rushing forward and brushing hands over the scorched and damaged parts of the deck, eyes flashing silver, and the crew watches as the ship seems to repair itself. Ace huffs and the boy just grins at him before bouncing over to Whitebeard and _climbing into his lap_. The crew gapes at the kid's bold move while Whitebeard just throws his head back and laughs.

"So that's Ace?" he asks, gesturing to where the older boy is watching them with sharp eyes.

The boy nods.

"Can you tell me your name?"

As he opens his mouth, Ace hisses a warning and his mouth snaps shut. He looks up apologetically at the Yonko, who just chuckles.

"Can you tell me how the two of you ended up on this island?" he asks.

The boy's brow furrows like he doesn't understand the question, he peeks over his shoulder at Ace, who just snorts like the question is one of the dumbest things he's heard. Confused, the boy shakes his head at Whitebeard, who seems to understand. "You've always been here?"

Slowly, the boy nods.

"Then can you tell me how the two of you ended up alone?"

The boy's eyes cloud over at that, becoming lost in memory and a pained, involuntary whimper escapes his throat. Ace hears it from his perch on the rail and starts to hum softly and soothingly, though the crew can see the shadows on his face as well. The boy seems to snap out of his daze and he clenches his hand over his heart, face sad as he shakes his head. Whitebeard hums in sympathy and gently pats the boy on the head.

"Well I don't think this island is a place for children," he says.

"Oyaji," Vista starts, "Are you suggesting…"

"I don't see why not," Whitebeard cuts in, "Can you honestly tell me it would be best to leave them here?"

"It's not that, Oyaji," Izo says.

"I know. But it doesn't change my decision."

The boy tugs on Whitebeard's captain's jacket, looking up at the giant man curiously.

"What would you and your friend say to coming with us?" the captain asks in response to the silent question.

The boy's eyes widen and a delighted gasp passes his lips as he gleefully turns to Ace, who looks both stunned and slightly hopeful at the offer. The two lock eyes, having another silent conversation, before the boy turns back to the giant man a slightly worried look on his face.

"Makino," he says, slightly cautious, like he's afraid of what the pirate will say.

Whitebeard raises an eyebrow. "Makino?"

The boy presses his lips, thoughtful, before he suddenly brightens, climbing down from the Yonko's lap and walking over to Marco. He presses a small hand to the Phoenix's chest, right over his tattoo and says, "Makino."

Marco blinks, before smiling in understanding. "Makino is family," he says to his captain.

"So there's someone else on the island, is there? Wouldn't be fair to leave them behind," Whitebeard says.

Marco nods before kneeling in front of the boy. "Makino can come," he says and smiles slightly when both boys relax, "Why don't we go and get Makino? And anything else you want to take?"

The boy smiles, excited and happy and innocent, and takes Marco's hand.

* * *

Thatch and Marco trail behind the boys as they lead the way through the forest. Ace keeps glancing at them, distrust clear in his eyes, but there is also this silent, cautious wonder. The boy whose name they have yet to learn runs circles around them, laughing and smiling without a care in the world and Ace looks after him fondly. They come to a tree, one of the largest on the island, and the boy eagerly points up. The commanders look and are met with the sight of a large tree house. A little higher in the branches, they can make out another structure that looks similar to a crow's nest with a branch through the center looking like a flag pole, though no flag is present. They follow the boys up, easily climbing the tall tree.

The tree house is built as a large, one room home. It's mostly empty, random belongings scattered about. A bed is tucked into the far corner; next to it is a pile of blankets and pillows arranged almost like a nest. Over the bed, hung on the wall is a pirate flag, a crossbones with the letters "ASL" over them. There is a rectangular table a ways away with two benches, one on either side, and a single chair lined with cushions at one of the heads. Two red apples sit on the table. The wall closest to the table is a series of cabinets and a fireplace that appears to work as a makeshift stove. A young woman, maybe in her early twenties, stands by it, her back turned to them. She has long, dark green hair that goes to her elbows tied back in a ponytail at the base of her neck, a dark purple bandana tied over her head. She's wearing a worn forest green blouse and orange skirt that stops halfway down her shins. Her feet are bare and her skin is calloused.

"Welcome back," she says, without turning and the commanders are a little surprised at how readily she speaks, "I finished your shirts, try not to rip them again, we don't have much material left. Those apples are for you, but they're the last ones so you'll have to get some more. Do either of you want some tea?" She picks up the kettle from the stove and turns to face them.

She freezes at the sight of them, dark hazel eyes going wide and a gasp of surprise escaping her mouth. The commanders are now given a good look at her face and what they see surprises them; she as a deep scar that runs from her left temple, between her eyes, ending at her right cheek. Despite this, she is still very pretty, the air around her gentle and kind. In her surprise, she turns quickly, only for a look of pain to come across her face. She manages to put the kettle back on the stove before she falls to her knees, one arm wrapped around her waist, the other braced on the floor, holding her up.

The boys rush forward, identical expressions of concern on their faces.

The woman waves them off with a smile. "It's fine, it's fine," she says.

Ace completely ignores her and, in a show of strength, effortlessly scoops her up into his arms. He carries her over to the table and places her in the chair, the younger boy snatching a blanket from the nest and rushing to place it over her lap, carefully smoothing over her legs. The woman chuckles and catches his hands.

"It's fine, Luffy," she says gently, "I'm alright. Go put your shirt on and eat your apple."

The boy – Luffy – stares at her blankly for a moment, before smiling and bouncing over to the bed, pulling on a red t-shirt with a monkey on it. Ace isn't so quick to leave, but eventually does, retrieving the kettle and pouring the tea into mismatch cups from one of the cabinets.

The woman turns back to the concerned commanders and smiles. "Please come in," she says.

"We didn't mean to startle you," Marco apologizes as he and Thatch take the offered seats.

She waves away his apology. "It's fine," she says, "We're just not used to guests. It's been almost five years since we've had any visitors on the island."

Thatch raises an eyebrow. "Isn't that a bit long? What about merchant ships?"

She shook her head. "They stopped coming," she says softly, shadows of old wounds crossing her eyes before they suddenly clear again, "Oh! I'm Makino by the way."

"Marco. This is Thatch."

Makino smiles. "It's a pleasure to meet both of you," she says as Ace sets down three cups of tea in front of them.

He hovers there until she ruffles his dark hair. He huffs, grabbing the apples and tosses one to Luffy, who catches it from his place on the bed. Ace plops down next to him, slipping on a pale yellow, short sleeve shirt, leaving the front hanging open to expose his chest, before biting into his apple.

"I have to ask though," Makino says after taking a sip of her tea, "Marine or pirate?"

"Pirate," Thatch says with an easy grin.

Makino returns it with a laugh. "How exciting! We haven't had any pirate visitors since Shanks left five years ago."

Luffy pulls his hat over his head with a little giggle. "Shanks!" he says gleefully.

"I'm guessing there's a story behind that," Thatch says while Marco chuckles.

"Luffy has always liked pirates, pretty much since the cradle. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was his first word," she chuckles, "When Shanks showed up, the two bonded instantly. It was rather adorable actually. Though it is Shanks's fault that Luffy has a Devil Fruit power."

"Devil Fruit power?" Marco asks, glancing at the grinning boy.

Ace reaches up and pulls on Luffy's cheek. It stretches farther than what should be humanly possible. Thatch and Marco stare as Ace lets go and the skin snaps back into place.

"Gomu Gomu no Mi!" Luffy exclaims brightly.

"Ace has one as well. The Mera Mera no Mi I believe it was called," she says. Ace holds up a hand and his fingers catch fire.

Makino giggles, drawing attention back to her. "Shanks left Luffy's Devil Fruit out and Luffy has a tendency to eat everything in sight," she explained, earning an eye roll from Ace and amused smirks from the commanders, "Shortly after that, there was an incident where Shanks saved Luffy's life at the cost of his left arm."

_That_ got the commander's attention. They remembered the uproar that had occurred when the Red-Haired Yonko returned to the Grand Line with only one arm. No one outside of his crew ever learned who he had lost it too and whenever he was asked, he would always give the same answer.

"_I made a bet on the new age."_

"When Shanks left, he and Luffy made a promise," Makino continues, unaware of the thoughts rolling around the commanders' heads, "Shanks left his hat with Luffy to represent that promise."

"Which is?" Marco asks, admittedly curious.

Makino smiles. "He's going to be –"

"Pirate King!" Luffy interrupts, his grin all determination. The fire in his eyes and the truth in his voice resonates with the commanders and they think that maybe they can see what made the rival Yonko bet on this kid.

"That's quite the goal," Thatch says.

Luffy giggles and Ace shakes his head, but the older boy's lips are twitching and it's easy to tell he's fighting a smile. Makino watches them with a fond smile.

"How did the three of you meet?" Marco wonders aloud.

"I've known Luffy since he was a baby. He was in and out of my tavern ever since he learned to walk," Makino says, "I didn't meet Ace until he was ten, when Luffy stared living with him. Their relationship is a bit…complicated. They're brothers, but more at the same time. To each other…well…" she trails off, eyes wondering down to the boys' intertwined fingers.

"To each other?" Thatch asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Soulmates," Luffy says, beaming proudly. Ace's face remains indifferent, but they can all see the way his hand tightens around the Angel's.

"Just think of them as brothers," Makino says, "It's easier than trying to puzzle out the depth of their relationship. Only the two of them seem to really understand it anyways."

The boys have stopped paying attention to the conversation. Ace is busy wiping the apple juice from Luffy's face and then licking it from his fingers while Luffy squirms and giggles. The commanders would be lying if they said it wasn't cute.

"So what brought you to our island?" Maknio asks.

"Nothing in particular," Marco replies, "We were just stopping to take a break, I suppose."

"Then we ran into these two troublemakers," Thatch says, jerking a thumb at the two boys.

"And I suppose they didn't exactly welcome you," Makino says, looking right at Ace. The teen looks slightly guilty for a moment before it's replaced with a false innocence and he's looking at her with an expression that says 'Who me?'

"They weren't that bad," Thatch waves away her concerns.

"Our captain has decided to take the boys with us when we leave," Marco says, "They refused to go without you though."

Makino looks stunned, her expression equal parts hope and disbelief. "Leave?" she whispers softly, shock heavy in her tone.

Ace and Luffy watch from the bed, leaning forward slightly with concerned looks.

Marco frowns slightly. "Do you not want to leave?"

That snaps Makino out of her shock. "No, no! I'm very grateful for the offer," she says quickly, "I'm just not sure you or your captain understands what it means that your offer was accepted."

Thatch raises an eyebrow. "What it means?"

"I'm sure by now you've noticed the boys aren't exactly…normal," she says slowly, unsure.

"If you mean that whole thing about them being the mythical Angel and Demon, then yeah, we got that lesson already," Thatch says with a shrug. Marco rolls his eyes next him.

Makino gives them a small smile. "Their…circumstances growing up have been a little rough, to say the least," she says, "Luffy has always been very trusting by nature, though if he has doubts about you, he looks into your core to see what kind of person you are." Marco's eyes widen slightly at that. "Ace is not as trusting; with perfectly good reasoning. But for both of them to agree so easily," she pauses, glancing at the boys, "You must have made quiet the impression on them."

Thatch and Marco trade looks. "We didn't really do much of anything," Thatch says slowly.

Ace is looking at them thoughtfully, a spark of wonder in his dark eyes.

"Ace?" Makino asks.

He glances at her before turning back to the pirates. "Freedom," he says softly, speaking for the first time. "Smell free."

It's a simple statement, but the two commanders can feel the weight in it. Makino looks surprised before a small smile breaks out on her face and Luffy just grins up at the older boy.

"Well the sea's the freest place there is," Thatch says with a grin that becomes a full blown smile when Ace's lips twitch up into a smile of his own.

Marco smiles as well before turning back to Makino. "I was wondering if you could answer a question for me," he says. She looks curious and gestures for him to continue. "What exactly happened here? We found the village earlier; it was obvious that this didn't just happen."

Makino gives him a very sad, very pained smile. "You're right," she says softly, "It didn't just happen."

There is a pause and the atmosphere is suddenly tense. Makino's eyes cloud over and every line of her body screams sadness. She looks down at her empty cup, fidgeting with it, rolling it slowly between her hands.

"It was a massacre," she whispers.

Luffy moves away from Ace, walking up to Makino and placing his hat on her head. She startles at the movement, but smiles softly when she realizes what he's done. Luffy grins back and climbs up on the chair next to her, carefully settling against her side and leaning into her cautiously, as if she's made of glass. Makino wraps an arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer and rubbing his arm.

"It happened about five years ago," Makino says, looking back up at the commanders, "Luffy and Ace, along with another boy named Sabo, had sworn to be brothers and fancied themselves pirates," she grinned fondly, but it was pained. Luffy rests his head on the woman's shoulder and Ace stares at the floor. It is easy to guess what had happened to their brother. He isn't here after all. "The three of them built this tree house as a hideout of sorts and lived here when they finished it. I'm sure you saw the crow's nest on the way up; they hung that flag up there," she gestured to the flag above the bed, "It's their flag; Ace, Sabo, and Luffy. ASL."

Makino sighs. "This is actually one of the biggest trees on the island and the top is visible from most anywhere if anyone bothered to look. One day a ship was passing our island. It was big and important looking; it wasn't going to stop for such a small, back water island. It was a Tenryubito's ship." Makino pauses, pressing her lips into a fine line, her grip on Luffy unconsciously tightening. "Apparently, he saw the boys' pirate flag in the trees and took offence," she continues softly. Luffy turns, hiding his face in Makino's shoulder. Ace's eyes clench shut as an expression of guilt forms on his face.

Marco and Thatch close their eyes in realization. Over something so simple, over something that was just a childish game.

"He ordered the island's destruction," Makino says, "We're a small island, with only one village, so it wasn't much of a challenge for them. The boys weren't there when the attack started, but when they saw the fire, they came running. Ace is the one who found me; they'd split up," she explains, absentmindedly running her fingers through Luffy's hair, "He managed to carry me out of the village and he and Luffy brought me back here. The only reason I survived that day was because Ace cauterized the worst of my wounds." She places a hand on her lower abdomen almost automatically. "They patched me up the best they could, but they were only seven and ten at the time, far from trained doctors," Makino smiles sadly, "I've never fully healed and at this rate I think it's safe to say that I never will."

Luffy makes an unhappy sound, reaching up to trace the scar on her face. Makino smiles and gently takes his hand, placing a kiss on his forehead.

"By the time the boys had finished treating me, the attack had ended and the Tenryubito had left. Ace left Luffy to watch over me before heading back to town. He was gone all night." Makino pauses, swallowing, a pained look coming to her face. "When he came back the next morning, he was carrying Sabo's body. Ace told us that Sabo loved us and that Luffy should never give up on his dream. He never told us what happened when he found him," she whispers brokenly.

One of Ace's hands is fisted in the sheets of the bed, his shoulders shaking as he glares at the floor, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. His other is tightly gripping the crossed out S tattooed on his arm, which the commanders now realize is not a mistake, but a tribute. Luffy is shaking as well, tucking himself further into Makino's side, trying to become as small as possible.

"The boys buried him on a cliff that over looked the sea. He wanted to set sail when he turned seventeen," Makino goes on after taking a deep, steadying breath, "When they decided I was well enough to leave on my own for a while, they went back to the village and buried everyone. I'm sure you've seen the grave site," she says and Marco nods solemnly, "They looked for survivors; all over the island. But it was just us. We were the only ones left."

She pauses for a moment, her lips trembling. "Ace and Luffy went quiet after that, only speaking when it was necessary to communicate with me. It took a while to get used to," she says softly, "They used to be so loud."

She chuckles and it's a watery sound. Luffy looks up in concern, eyes wide and worried and innocent despite everything they've seen. Ace shuffles slightly on the bed.

"Sorry," he whispers, "Our fault."

Luffy reaches up and traces the scar on Makino's face again. "Our fault," he echoes.

Makino's eyes are sad and the pirates can tell they've had this conversation many times. "No, no," she says softly, "You two have done nothing wrong. Nothing that happened that day was your fault."

The boys nod, but it's painfully obvious that they don't believe her.

"She's right," Marco breaks in gently, "The Tenryubito are a group of people who believe themselves above the law. They do what they please and have little concern for any form of life outside of their own. The rest of the world is nothing but trash to them."

Thatch nods. "If it was a Tenryubito, then it was definitely not your fault. They were probably just bored and looking for some sport," he says, face wrinkling with distaste.

The boys look at them, blinking in surprise. Makino smiles at them and mouths her thanks over Luffy's head.

"Well," she says, a bright grin making its way to her face, "If we're leaving then I suppose we need to pack."

The boys jump up, shifting through their belongings and grabbing bags to put them in. Makino laughs and carefully pushes herself up, walking to the wall and grabbing the bright orange hat hanging from a hook on it. A string of red beads sits around its brim and two smilies, one grinning and one frowning, rest among the beads.

"Why don't you two go say goodbye? We can take care of this," she says, placing the hat on Ace's head before taking the straw hat from here own head and putting it back on Luffy's.

The two stop and glance at each other before nodding to Makino and heading out the makeshift door.

"They are very strong," Marco comments after they've left.

"They always have been," Makino says.

The three of them begin packing. Marco and Thatch stuff all of the clothes into a bag, while Makino grabs a few trinkets. After everything has been packed away, she carefully removes the pirate flag from the wall and folds it up, placing it in the bag before closing it. Even with all of that, there belongings are still few and between the three of them, only two large bags are filled.

"Well, that's everything," Makino says.

Thatch grins at her. "Ready?"

She slips on a pair of black flats and nods, running a hand along the wood of the wall. "Yes," she says, smiling softly.

Thatch grabs the bags and Marco scoops up Makino, who blushes while apologizing profusely at having to be carried only to be brushed off good naturedly, and the pirates jump from the tree house, landing effortlessly on the ground. Ace and Luffy are waiting for them, metal staffs in hand. The pair walk over to Makino and Luffy smiles up at her.

"Sabo loves you," he says.

"I love him too," Makino says with a grin, kissing the tip of her pointer finger and pressing it to the S on Ace's arm, "But you know it's not really goodbye, right?"

The boys nod and Makino smiles at them as Luffy grabs Thatch's and Marco's hands and begins dragging them through the trees, Ace rolling his eyes as he trails after them next to her, helping her over tree roots and making sure she doesn't fall. When they reach the Moby Dick, Luffy drags her to Whitebeard. Considering what they've seen of her so far, Marco and Thatch aren't that surprised by her reaction to meeting the Strongest Man in the World. The rest of the crew, however, is left to gape in shock at her lack of fear and intimidation.

Luffy stops before Whitebeard, holding Makino's hand. Ace is on her other side, much more relaxed than he was during his previous visit.

"Giant Ossan!" Luffy cries, beaming up at the Yonko.

Marco can't help the smile that forms on his face and Thatch stifles a snicker. The other commanders have similar reactions.

Luffy tugs Makino forward. "Makino," he says.

Whitebeard chuckles. "So you're Makino, are you?"

The woman smiles and gives a slight bow. "I am. It is a pleasure to meet you Whitebeard-san."

"Gurararararara! You're a polite one."

"If you don't mind, Whitebeard-san, may I ask what you plan to do with us?" Makino asks, looking up at the giant man.

"Do with you?" Whitebeard muses.

"Even if I was at full health, I'm sure I would be of little use to you," Makino says, curling an arm around each boy, resting a hand on their shoulders. "The boys, as I'm sure you've seen by now, have potential, but they are still just children. What I'm asking is whether or not you are intending for us to stay, or if you plan to drop us at the next island."

The boys' eyes go wide as they look first at Makino and then Whitebeard, an action that does not go unnoticed by the man. Makino's gaze remains on the Yonko, level and firm, silently challenging as she squeezes the boys' shoulders. It isn't hard for Whitebeard to figure out he is being tested.

"It would be rather dangerous for the three of you to stay with us," he says.

"It would," Makino agrees.

Whitebeard levels his gaze on the boys. "Why do you boys want to come with us?" he asks.

Ace and Luffy trade a look before turning back to the Yonko. "Freedom," they say in unison.

Whitebeard grins. "Then welcome aboard!" he says.

Makino smiles. "Thank you, Whitebeard-san."

* * *

That night, they get ready to set sail the next morning.

Ace and Luffy sit outside the infirmary, not moving, staring relentlessly at the door. Makino had been dragged away by the nurses when Marco and Thatch had relayed the trio's story to their captain. It had been hours, but the two hadn't moved since the nurses had closed the door in their faces. Luffy leans into his older brother, clutching his hand while Ace buries his face in the younger's hair.

Finally, the door opens and a nurse steps out, smiling down at them kindly. The Angel and Demon stand, staring up at the nurse with concerned expressions.

"She'll be fine," the nurse says, and the pair sighs in relief, "We managed to fix some of the internal damage and with some physical therapy, she'll regain some of her strength. She won't ever be as healthy as she was before," she warns, "But she will get better."

Ace nods and Luffy glances at the door, eyes wide and pleading.

"You can see her. But be careful, and don't disturb her to much or we'll make you leave," the nurse says firmly, but gently, "She's still recovering from surgery."

The boys nod before quietly entering. Makino is asleep on one of the beds, an IV hooked up to her arm, sleeping peacefully. Luffy rushes over, slowing only to take off his shoes and put his hat on the little table next to the bed before pulling back the covers and carefully climbing into the bed, curling into the sleeping woman's side. Ace is slower, but he copies his brother, removing his shoes and hat before laying down on Makino's other side above the covers, his body its own heat source. He reaches over, ruffling his brother's hair and brushing fingers across Makino's cheek before curling up and falling asleep with a small smile on his face.

About an hour later, Marco is doing rounds and finds Makino awake, her arms wrapped loosely around the boys, lightly stroking their dark hair. She smiles at him and he returns it; it's hard not to when faced with a scene like that. The shadows that both boys carry seem to have vanished into thin air, Makino's presence providing a warm, safe blanket of security.

"You're stuck with them now, you know," she whispers softly across the room as he silently pads over to her, "They aren't going to leave this ship unless they want to."

Marco smirks. "So it seems," he says lightly, voice just as soft, "They really care about you."

"We take care of each other," she replies.

Marco tucks the sheets a little tighter around Luffy's slumbering form and readjusts Ace's position so that he's not in danger of falling off the bed. "You're nakama now," he tells her, "We'll take care of you too."

She smiles up at him, hazel eyes brimming with hope and grateful tears. "Thank you," she whispers.

"Anytime," Marco replies with an easy grin, "Get some sleep."

Makino give him one last smile before closing her eyes and pulling her boys closer, quickly falling asleep, her body still exhausted from her earlier treatment. Marco shakes his head fondly as he quietly exits the room. Already, those three have earned places on the ship.

It seems life at sea just got more interesting.


	2. Family

**Hello again!  
**

**So, wow. Two in one day. Impressive, huh? No, not really. Both this chapter and chapter one were originally published in my one-shot collection _The Deepest of Ties_, but as I said last time, this little verse is getting it's own story and what's a story without the first two chapters?  
**

**Basically this chapter, in a nutshell,**** is pretty much a whole bunch of little snippets of things that happen on the Moby Dick over the years, from when Ace, Luffy, and Makino join, to when Luffy leaves to start his own adventure. Mostly focuses on the boys coming out of their shells and learning about people again, Ace finding his place among the crew, and Makino taking everything in stride.**  


**********Warnings: fluff, shenanigans, angst, fluff, flashbacks to traumatic events, PTSD, family things, pranks, fluff, Luffy being his absolutely perfect self...lots of things actually**

**********Disclaimer: I could really go for a smoothie right now...  
**

**********ONWARD!**

* * *

_**~Family~**_

_It's not easy finding a place to belong, but sometimes, all it takes is a good argument for everything to start falling into place._

* * *

Life aboard the Moby Dick has changed. The three newest additions to the crew have slowly slid into place; and by slowly, I mean the only reason the ship hasn't exploded is likely because of Makino. The young woman is the one who keeps the crew sane while the boys explore anything and everything, spreading their own brand of chaos as they go. It's that same curiosity that endears the crew to the boys in the first place.

Initially, the boys stay in the infirmary with Makino as she recovers from her surgery. But as she gets better, they begin to explore the ship with all the eagerness of a puppy given a new toy. It becomes a regular thing for the crew to walk on deck and see the two hanging from the masts or swinging from dangling ropes. The pair doesn't interact with the crew much at first, but they don't shy away from every new person they meet anymore either and that makes Makino smile. The boys get by, speaking in three-five word sentences, but it's much more than when they first met and the crew has Makino to handle all of the in-betweens. Though they become rather good at reading the brothers themselves. Ace is somewhat avoidant of the crew, though he is no longer violent, it is still easy to see the distrust in his eyes, so most of the crew treats him cautiously. Luffy is much more open, bouncing around deck and weaving through legs. He seems to have claimed the ship's figurehead has his "special seat" and he can sit there for hours and do nothing but stare at the waves. Ace often joins him and sometimes the crew swears the two are talking to the ship, whispering questions and praises into the wood and then giggling like gleeful children after a moment of silence, almost as if there was a response.

Makino has become a sort of domestic head of the ship. She sews and cleans and helps in the kitchens (much to the crew's pleasure), putting her past skills as a tavern owner to good use. She also seems to have become the unofficial mother of the ship. Taking care of Ace and Luffy for so long seems to have nurtured her maternal instincts and before long, she's breaking up arguments and giving lectures left and right about how to take proper care of yourself and your family. The men grumble and complain, but listen to her anyway, not wanting to risk the young woman's temper (And she does have one; the crew learned that the hard way.), and Whitebeard just sits back and watches it all with an amused smile.

Stopping at islands has become something of an adventure. The first island they stop at after they picked up the trio is a small one, but has a bustling marketplace. Ace and Luffy stare wide eyed at everything. They are surprisingly timid in the beginning – considering all of the mayhem the two cause on the ship – but then the crew remembers their story and they understand. Makino, with some help from some of the crew, manages to coax the boys off the ship and into the market. It isn't long before the pair is running around looking at anything and everything, eyes bright with curiosity and wonder. Though the crew that accompanies them into town notices that they seem to shut down when confronted with a stranger. They back away, usually to Maknio, but sometimes toward their crewmates as well. Makino just smiles and ruffles their dark hair before talking with the stranger. When they finally return to the Grand Line, the boys are absolutely fascinated. The sudden changing weather amuses them to no end and sea king is suddenly their new favorite food.

By now, it is impossible for the crew to imagine life without the three of them; they just fit. Like they are meant to be here, even if everyone can tell they are still holding back. Ace and Luffy still rarely speak and Makino puts distance between herself and the crew because that is what the boys do. Not that anyone blames them. Trust is something hard to give out after what they've gone through. So the crew doesn't force it.

But that doesn't mean they sit by idly either.

After all, Ace and Luffy are their little brothers and Makino is their sister.

They are nakama.

And nakama take care of each other.

* * *

When the boys finally decide it's okay to speak more, the crew thinks a war might break out.

The pair are sparring, something they do quite regularly, about one hundred times a day to be exact. It's obvious that Luffy still hasn't figured out how to effectively control his Devil Fruit yet and Ace shows no mercy, slamming his brother face first into the deck. Luffy bounces right back up though and swings his arm back, making to punch Ace. The older dodges, but when the younger's arm snaps back into place, Luffy can't handle the recoil and goes flying.

Ace pauses, blinking at the sight, before he starts laughing. The sound causes heads to turn. Ace has never been one for expressing how he feels, at least not to their knowledge. Hearing him laugh is unusual and makes those within hearing distance stop and stare.

When the teen recovers enough breath, he crosses his arms over his chest and smirks down at his brother. "Rubber is useless," he taunts, it's mean, but it's teasing at the same time, "Won't hit me like that. Your power's not suited for battle at all."

To the crew's surprise, Luffy sits up and _glares_ at his brother. "Shut up!" he yells, waving his arms childishly.

Ace frowns. "You saying I'm wrong? You're just bulletproof and that's it!"

While wondering just what the hell happened to make both of them so animated so suddenly, the crew wonders what the story behind _that_ particular discovery is.

Luffy is not pleased with the declaration that he is weak and marches right up into Ace's face. "Don't make fun of it!" he yells, "Someday, I'll kick your ass!"

The two are forehead to forehead now, yelling insults and threats that echo across the ship. At this point everyone is staring at the two, open mouthed. This is not only the most they've _ever_ said on the ship in one sitting, it is also the loudest they have ever been.

"So remember when Makino said they used to be loud?" Thatch asks sarcastically, coming to stand beside Marco, arms crossed over his chest.

Marco chuckles. "Hard to believe, right?" he replies, "I wonder what set them off."

"Should we stop them?" Thatch asks, watching the two.

The Phoenix shrugs. "On one side, they're arguing. On the other, this is the most animated they've been since we've met them."

"Soooo let it play out?" the Fourth Division Commander asks with a raised eyebrow.

"I guess," Marco says dryly.

Suddenly, Luffy turns away from Ace, arms crossed over his chest. "Sabo was a much nicer brother than you," he declares.

"What's that mean?! You wish I died instead?!" Ace yells.

And Marco's and Thatch's eyes widen, while others look on in confusion (only the commanders and Whitebeard know the trio's full story, meaning only they know about Sabo), because suddenly, this argument has taken a dangerous turn.

But Luffy just whirls around. "I didn't say that!"

"But it's basically what you meant!" Ace yells back, slamming his fist into Luffy's head.

"Ow!" the Angel cries, hands flying up to his hair, "Sabo never punched me like that!"

"What was that?!"

"What's with you?! Be nicer, will you?!"

"No way!"

And then the two are on the ground wrestling, throwing punches and kicks and lost in a tangle of limbs. It's obvious that, though the words exchanged between the two were harsh, clearly, neither one of them feels hurt by what is said. Which is odd, because most anyone else would be out for blood at this point. But these two just continue on as if this is a regular occurrence, if not a somewhat violent one.

Laughter suddenly sounds over the fighting and everyone turns to see Makino. She's looking at the boys, tears running down her face, the force of her laughter bringing her to her knees. Ace and Luffy stop immediately and scramble over to her and the crew is once again left to stare in awe at the bond shared between these three. Ace and Luffy exchange worried, confused looks because they don't understand what's wrong.

Makino is laughing, but why is she crying?

There's a note of relief in the young woman's laughter though, that has everyone trading looks as she gets herself under control. When she finally stops, Ace and Luffy are on their knees in front of her, looking up into her eyes earnestly.

She chuckles a little and wipes her eyes. "Oh, it's been a while since I've heard that," she says with a grin that looks far too happy for someone who just caught her two charges fighting, "And here I was thinking I would never hear you two again."

The brother's exchange looks before turning back to Makino with sheepish grins.

"So what was it about this time?" the young woman asks with a fond smile.

"Rubber is a stupid power," Ace says bluntly.

Luffy jumps up. "Shut up! It is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"I'll kick your ass!"

"Not if I kick yours first!"

And then the two are at it again and Makino just sits there and laughs at them, her absolute joy clearly visible.

"I'm guessing this is completely normal," Namur says after a long moment of everyone just staring.

"So it would seem," Izo agrees, rubbing his temples.

Haruta chuckles. "They seem to be opening up though, if they're doing this where we can all see it."

"I'm not entirely sure that makes it better," Namur says.

"Makino did try to warn us," Thatch reminds the group.

"What warning?" Jozu huffs.

Thatch blinks. "Oh yeah," he says, "You weren't there when she gave it."

Marco rolls his eyes, but can't quite hide the chuckle that passes his lips.

"Care to fill us in now?" Izo asks with a frown.

Thatch just shrugs. "It wasn't much," he admits, "Makino was just concerned we didn't quite understand what we were getting ourselves into when we decided to take them with us."

"Just what the hell did we agree to?" Vista asks.

"Hell if I know," Haruta answers with a shrug.

Marco smirks. "Just let them be," he says, "They're finally being themselves."

"Energetic little brats, aren't they?"

The commanders turn to see Whitebeard standing behind them. Their captain sits down on the deck, watching the youngest two on the ship fight it out with an amused smile.

"Perhaps a bit too much," Namur says.

Whitebeard laughs. "Whoever heard of a tame pirate?"

Before anyone can reply, Ace throws Luffy across the deck and he slams into a wall, sliding down to the deck, his face hidden by his hair. The older boy crosses his arms over his chest, a smug smirk on his face. Luffy finally looks up and releases a groan that is equal parts frustration and disappointment. He springs back up and raises his fists as he glares at his brother.

"Again!" he says.

"Nope," Ace says with a grin, "Only one hundred a day. You can try again tomorrow."

Luffy deflates. "Awwwwww," he whines.

The crew blinks. Just like that, it's over. Like the argument never happened. Luffy springs back up and bounces over to Makino, who is watching the pair of them fondly.

"Makino! Food!"

The young woman chuckles. "Sorry, Luffy. You know the rules. You have to wait for dinner."

Luffy pouts and Maknio ruffles his hair.

The Angel looks around deck for something to do when he sees Whitebeard and the commanders on deck. He grins and drags Ace over to them before climbing into the giant man's lap. He does this quite often so it doesn't elicit such a stunned reaction anymore, still the crew admires the kid's guts.

"Giant Ossan!" Luffy cries, "Story!"

Ace rolls his eyes, but he sits by Whitebeard's knee anyway. They had learned early on that the two of them loved hearing about pirate adventures. It's rather adorable how they would hang onto every word, especially when Ace tries to hide his interest and Luffy babbles his excitement, eyes wide and bright with wonder.

Whitebeard just chuckles at the two of them as the crew slowly goes back to its duties. "What should it be about this time, cheeky brat?"

And Whitebeard does nothing to hide the fact that he likes to indulge them.

* * *

Something changes that day. No one is really sure what it is, but it's like something has suddenly clicked, like a barrier that had been in place has finally been knocked down, because suddenly, things start falling into place. Luffy and Ace start talking more, though Makino tells them it is still nowhere near the normal amount or volume. They start to interact more with the crew and isolate themselves less.

The fact that something has shifted is made obvious when the crew finally learns that Ace's control over his Devil Fruit isn't quite perfect either.

It happens in the galley during lunch; Ace falls asleep and luckily Makino had the foresight to explain Ace's narcolepsy to the crew beforehand so no one freaks out. The young woman easily catches the Demon's head in a practiced movement that lets the crew know this is a fairly common occurrence, before he falls face first into his food. Everyone at the table blinks while Luffy just starts laughing and stealing food from his brother's plate. Makino grins and gently sets Ace's head down on the table before returning to her own meal.

Marco raises an eyebrow. "I take it this happens often?" he asks.

Makino laughs. "Regularly," she says, "I'm surprised he lasted this long without having a sleep attack."

Thatch grins from his place next to Marco. "Oh, this is great. We could get a lot of mileage out of this one."

"Leave me out of your pranks," Marco drawls, rolling his eyes.

Suddenly, Luffy cries out in pain and the little Angel is cradling his arm to his chest and trying to scramble away from his sleeping brother, who, the adults have just realized, is on fire. Makino jumps up and snatches Luffy away before he can get burned again.

"Ace, wake up!" she cries.

The Demon jerks awake, eyes flying open. When he sees the fire and the damage he's caused however, he panics, the flames around him intensifying. Marco, much to Luffy and Makino's surprise, picks up Ace's flaming body, while Thatch and Namur throw water on the burning table and bench, putting out the fire.

When Ace feels arms around him, he immediately starts struggling, even as Marco carries him out to the deck.

"No! Stop!" he yells frantically, "Let go! I'll hurt you! You'll get burned and –"

"Ace," Marco says calmly, "You aren't burning me."

Ace stills and finally _looks_ at Marco, brown eyes widening at the sight of bright blue flames licking across the older man's skin.

"You need to calm down, Ace," Marco continues firmly, "Take a deep breath, focus on containing your fire."

Ace does just that and slowly, the fire calms until it is extinguished. Marco lets his fire go out as well and he lowers the teen to the deck, letting him go when he's sure the young fire user will be able to stand on his own. The Demon is staring at him, eyes racking over his body, trying to find some sort of injury, some kind of burn. But there is none. He looks up at Marco with a strange mix of confusion and fear. Before anything can be said however, Luffy comes rushing out.

"Ace!" the Angel calls, reaching out for his brother.

The Demon backs away, dodging Luffy's touch. They both freeze, eyes locking. Ace's eyes fall after a moment, landing on the burn on Luffy's arm. He bites his lip and turns away. Luffy smiles softly and takes his brother's wrist slowly and carefully, but firmly. Ace refuses to look at him, eyes locked on the deck.

Makino places a hand on Marco's shoulder and the man looks down at her, seeing the worry in her eyes as she looks him over for some kind of wound.

"I'm fine," he says with a slight smirk, "It'll take more than a little fire to hurt me."

Makino's lips twitch into a grin and she gives him a slight chuckle before heading to the boys. "Come on you two," she says, "Let's get you cleaned up."

Luffy looks up at her with a hopeful grin. "Bath together?" he asks.

Makino smiles. "You can take a bath together if you want."

"Makino too!" Luffy cries, tugging at her hand.

The woman laughs and lets the younger boy drag her along with Ace. "Alright, alright. Me too."

"Yay!"

Marco shakes his head after them.

"Looks like his control isn't as perfect as we thought," Thatch says, coming up next to the first commander.

Marco just hums in agreement before the two head back into the galley to check the damage.

Later that evening, Marco is standing by the railing looking out at the sea. Ace had disappeared after lunch and even Makino had no idea where he'd gone. If Luffy knew, he wasn't talking. Marco sighs, they can't leave the situation like this. Ace needs to learn control, but if he shuts himself away, that isn't going to happen.

The sound of footsteps has him turning and there's Ace, looking up at him with a determined expression on his face. Marco silently raises an eyebrow at him and the teen seems to steel himself before reaching out to take Marco's hand. Before Marco can ask what he's doing, Ace's hand catches fire and Marco's fire automatically flares to life on his skin. Ace looks absolutely mesmerized by the blue flames that push back against his orange ones, mixing to create a violet light.

"I hurt Luffy today," the young pirate says after a moment, eyes never leaving their connected hands.

"You did," Marco agrees with a nod.

"I could have hurt other people."

"You could have."

Ace presses his lips together in a thin line before finally looking up into Marco's eyes. "Teach me," he says, eyes showing nothing but determination.

And Marco grins. "Sure."

* * *

The boys are absolutely fascinated by the training sessions the crew has on deck. The pair of them perch somewhere on the deck, usually the mast or the railing, and watch with wide eyes. Ace positively glows when Marco starts to teach him and spar with him on a regular basis. The crew notices right away that something has changed in the dynamic between the two. The little Demon seems less on edge around Marco than he did before. Makino and Luffy just watch them with knowing smiles. Marco notices the difference but doesn't comment on it, continuing on has he had before.

It isn't until Luffy visits him in the middle of his night watch that he realizes just how much things have shifted.

The little Angel grabs his hand and looks straight into his eyes with that same weighted start he gave him when they first met.

"He's let you in," the boy says, "You've gotten past his walls. Be careful with his heart."

And then the boy is gone, heading back to his bed, leaving a wondering Marco behind him.

It's during one of his training sessions with Ace that he first brings out his wings. The Demon immediately freezes and Marco takes advantage of his opening because, awe or not, this is still a training session. Ace barely registers the hit, staring up at him from the deck with wide, wondering eyes.

"You have wings," he says.

Marco smirks. "They call me the Phoenix for a reason, kid."

Understanding crosses Ace's face. "Oh. So that's why you smell like that."

Marco tilts his head to the side curiously and lets his wings change back into arms, putting his hands on his hips. "Smell like what?"

"Rebirth," Ace says simply, pulling himself up into a sitting position. "All of you smell like freedom and the sea, but you all have a unique smell underneath all of that too," he explains, "You smell like fire and ashes and rebirth."

"Is that good or bad?" Marco asks with a cocked eyebrow.

Ace grins at him, eyes twinkling, and that's answer enough.

* * *

When Jozu is accidentally forced overboard in a sparring match, Luffy is the first to jump after him. He catches the large man before he hits the water, white wings growing from his back to slow their fall. Ace, seeing what his brother has done, dives off his perch on the mast, black wings sprouting from his own back as he glides to Jozu's other side. Together, the two of them pull the Third Division Commander back to the deck.

Jozu promptly knocks Luffy over the head. "That was very stupid," the diamond man says, ignoring the puppy-dog pout sent his way, "Thanks, kid."

Luffy beams at him and Ace grins.

"But leave it to us next time, yeah?" Namur says.

"At least until you can carry him on your own," Kingdew adds with a grin, arms crossed over his chest.

"Shishishishishishishi! Okay!"

* * *

"I don't care if you two are hungry!" Makino's voice echoes from inside the galley, "This is a kitchen! Not a playground!"

"Yes, Makino," Ace and Luffy answer in unison.

"And you! You shouldn't be encouraging them! You're a chef! You know how important our job is on a ship!"

"Yes, Makino," Thatch says, sounding sincerely apologetic for whatever it is he's done.

"Now the three of you will get this place cleaned up and it will be completely spotless by the time I get back or none of you will be eating anything for a week! Am I clear?"

"Yes ma'm!"

Makino exits the galley. She's covered head to toe with what was probably going to be that night's dinner. The crew discretely backs away, not wanting to get caught in her temper. When she turns to them, she's wearing her usual sweet smile, but there is a stern edge to it.

"If a few of you could check in on them periodically to make sure they are doing their job?" she asks.

The men closest to her nod vigorously.

Makino's temper isn't a violent one; she never resorts to physical harm and she only raises her voice if what you've done really deserves it. The thing the crew has learned about Makino's temper is that it isn't fear that makes it dangerous (though that is a small part of it), it's the disappointment. Seeing Makino upset with you is like watching your own heart get ripped out. The crew can't tell if that's just the way she is, or if she does it on purpose, but either way, it's ridiculously effective.

The young woman smiles at them. "Thank you," she says sincerely, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go clean myself up."

And with that, she turns and walks away.

Marco snickers as he watches the scene unfold and looks up at his captain. "I think we found a mother," he says with an easy grin.

Whitebeard laughs. "Gurarararararara! And she thought she wouldn't be useful on the ship."

* * *

"Good morning, Whitebeard-san," Makino says with a smile as she walks past him.

"Good morning, Makino."

The young woman sits down between Izo and Haruta, who both look at her quizzically. It's not just her, everyone at the table is.

"Why do you still do that, Makino?" Haruta asks with a slight frown.

Makino blinks. "Do what?"

"Call him 'Whitebeard-san'," Izo explains, "You've been on the ship for over a year; you can call him Oyaji, you know. You're part of the crew too."

The young woman smiles. "I know. But it isn't the right time yet."

"The right time?" Curiel, who is sitting across from her, asks, "What's that mean?"

"It means it would be inappropriate for me to address Whitebeard-san as Oyaji right now," Makino replies.

"I don't understand," Haruta practically whines.

Makino chuckles. "You will when it happens."

* * *

Makino puts a hand to her mouth as she struggles not to gag. What the heck had she just eaten? Her eyes narrow as she looks at the cut up fruit in front of her. Something's not right. She asks the waitress what type of fruit is in the fruit salad and she just gets generic names. So she goes to ask the chef. She has a sinking feeling in her stomach and she's pretty sure she _knows_ what she's just eaten. She was there when Luffy ate his fruit after all and she remembers how awful he said it tasted.

The chef can't really give her any answers either. He just tells her it was an exotic fruit he found in town and wanted to try it out. Makino immediately scolds him for putting something in his food without knowing exactly what it was and he has the sense to look ashamed. She asks to see the scraps and the chef shows her the bin with all of the fruit and vegetable rinds in it. She digs through it until she finds what she's looking for: an unnaturally blue rind covered in swirls.

She stares at it for a moment, face blank before she gives a resigned sigh. Too late to take it back now, she would just have to make the most of it. She puts the rind in a bag and tucks it into her pocket. Haruta's division has a book on Devil Fruits, being the intelligence division. Maybe they can identify the fruit with the peel. She makes sure to explain to the chef exactly what he's done and that if this is how he treats food, he has no business being a chef. He pales at the mention of the Devil Fruit and doesn't charge her for the meal. He offers her more, but she refuses. It was a mistake after all, a very careless mistake, but a mistake none the less.

She finishes her errands and returns to the ship.

"Welcome back, Makino," Vista greets her, taking her bags for her.

"How was the shopping?" Thatch asks with an easy grin.

Makino smiles at him. "Eventful," she replies, "I believe I accidently ate a Devil Fruit."

The two commanders stare at her for a moment.

"What?!" they yell.

Makino calmly retells her story. "Now I am going to tell Whitebeard-san and then I am going to find Haruta. I don't know what type of fruit it was and I'm hoping she can help."

And then she turns and walks off, leaving the two commanders staring after her.

"She's taking it rather well," Vista comments.

Thatch just nods.

* * *

"Ne, Ace! Look!"

Ace looks in the direction his brother is pointing and a large grin breaks out on his face. He jumps out of the crow's nest and down to the deck, startling a few of the crew.

"Marco!" he calls, "Marco, Marco, Marco, Marco!"

"_What_, brat?" the blond man asks when Ace reaches him. Thatch smothers snickers next to him; Ace's attachment to the Phoenix is ridiculously adorable.

Ace points with his large grin. "Luffy saw a ship port side," he says, "We can't make out the Jolly Roger yet, but it looks like those newest rookies."

Thatch and Marco look and, sure enough, there's the ship.

"What did they call themselves again?" Thatch asks, "The Bloody Claw Pirates?"

"Bloody Fang," Marco corrects blandly.

Ace snorts. "It's not like that's much better."

Thatch laughs and claps Ace on the shoulder. Marco just grins at him, marveling how far the boy has come in a short year. If someone had told them a year ago Ace would be cracking jokes with them, Marco would have laughed in their face. But looking at it now, it isn't so hard to believe.

"Their captain is Red Fang Zaki," he says, "Apparently, he's got a Devil Fruit. A Zoan type."

"Five hundred beli says it's a bat," Thatch says with a grin.

"I'm not betting with you," Ace says, "You cheat."

"I do not!" the older man cries indignantly.

"It's a bat." Marco interjects, "If the rumors are correct."

Ace raises an eyebrow at Thatch, who pouts and stubbornly crosses his arms. "Having access to information you don't is not cheating."

The Demon just rolls his eyes. "What about a bounty?" he asks.

"One hundred thirty five million, wasn't it?" Thatch asks Marco.

The Phoenix nods. "Something like that. It's not too bad for a rookie, seen better though."

"You'd think he'd wait until he hit at least two hundred before confronting Oyaji," Thatch comments.

"Maybe he's just not that bright," Alec comments as he approaches, handing a spyglass to Marco, "I've heard some nasty rumors about this one," he adds when his commander takes the glass.

"Like what?" Ace asks.

Alec shrugs. "Just that the 'Bloody' in their name is well earned. And that the captain is a manipulative bastard."

Thatch grimaces. "I hate those types."

Luffy suddenly appears next to them. "I told Giant Ossan," the boy says, "He says Marco will know what to do."

Marco lowers the spyglass with a frown. "Unfortunately, it looks like they want to talk," he says.

"We letting them on board?" Alec asks.

Marco nods with a sigh. "Yeah. You guys know the drill, same old cocky rookies," he says and Alec nods and runs off.

"I don't like the feel of this," Thatch says.

Ace frowns. "I don't like the smell."

And that comment coming from anyone else would make them crack smiles, but from him or Luffy, it's just as serious as Thatch's statement.

Luffy looks up at them. "Are we going to fight them?" he asks, eyes excited.

Thatch chuckles and ruffles his hair. "Not quite yet, kid. But if this goes the way we think it will, you'll get to knock some heads soon enough."

"Yay!" Luffy cheers.

The four of them head to the main deck, where most of the crew has already gathered. The rookie pirate crew steps up on deck, the man in front, who is clearly the captain, strutting across it like he owns it. Most of the crew groans and rolls their eyes; he's one of _those_ rookies. The ones that think they own everything and there can't possibly be anything strong enough to take them down.

The man is tall and very pale. His black hair is long and tied back with a red bandana tied over it. He wears a long, black captain's jacket and there's a sword at his hip. His smile is cocky and a little sinister.

"It's an honor, Whitebeard," he says with a slight bow, his voice like sickly sweet honey.

"Red Fang Zaki, was it?" Whitebeard says indifferently, "Why are you on my ship?"

Zaki just grins. "You know me? Then perhaps you can guess why I'm here. I'm interested in…an alliance of sorts."

"No," Luffy says, speaking up and making everyone turn to him. He stares at Zaki, his face unusually serious, not at all affected by the numerous eyes on him. "You're a bad guy. I don't like you."

Marco places a hand on Luffy's shoulder and pulls him back and shakes his head. Luffy frowns at him, clearly unhappy, but lets the man pull him back.

Zaki raises an eyebrow and turns back to Whitebeard. "You let a child make the decisions on your ship?"

Whitebeard is grinning in amusement at Luffy's outburst, but his smile gains a cool edge to it at Zaki's words. "Not at all. But he's an honest brat and speaks his mind when he pleases."

"I see."

Luffy tunes the conversation out, focusing on the growing sense of wrongness in his stomach. Something is out of place, but he can't figure out what, just that it is very bad. He feels how tense Ace is next to him and knows his brother feels the wrongness too. He just doesn't know what it is.

"You seem to be under the false impression that I am a naïve little waif," Whitebeard says, snapping Luffy from his trance. The wrongness is definitely being caused by the visiting pirate, but his crew is huddled close together and he can't see through them. "Your little head games won't work on me."

Zaki frowns. "Then you will not agree to give me the materials I need?"

"You are a waste of my time," Whitebeard says indifferently, "Get off my ship."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I really need those maps you see."

And Luffy is starting to get uneasy because that sense of wrongness is growing stronger. The pirates shift and Luffy sees something that makes his heart drop.

"Makino!" he yells, darting forward.

Marco is quick to grab him and hold him back, but now everyone sees what he sees. Zaki grins and gestures one of his men forward. Makino is held securely in his arms, a sword pressed to her throat. There is fear visible in her eyes, but her expression is apologetic.

"I'm sorry, Whitebeard-san," she says, "I didn't –"

"Hush, child," the Yonko says gently, "It is not your fault."

Zaki smirks. "Having weak women on your ship is a bad move," he says, either ignoring or oblivious to the glares it gets him. Since Makino's situation was revealed, the atmosphere has gone from bored to tense. "Now about those maps."

Whitebeard grunts. "You have nerve, brat, I'll give you that much. But you are very foolish if you think this will get you what you want."

Zaki raises an eyebrow. "So you will let the woman die?"

The man holding her throws her ground, holding his sword over her. Luffy cries out and Ace hisses. Both of them are tense and Thatch and Marco each have a hold on them to prevent them from doing something stupid.

"No," Whitebeard replies almost casually, but there is a dangerous undertone to his voice, "But you do realize you've backed yourself into a corner."

Zaki frowns and draws himself up, arrogance practically pouring out of him. "If you think we actually need this woman, you are mistaken."

He waves his hand and the man brings his sword down. Several people cry out and Ace and Luffy scream, Makino throws her arms up in a pitiful attempt to defend herself.

Then, to everyone's shock, the blade shatters mid-air.

Silence.

No one on deck moves.

Makino peeks around her hands and stares. There is a slight distortion in the air around her, like a barrier of sorts.

Zaki frowns, breaking the silence. "A Devil Fruit? No matter."

The man draws his own sword, but before he can do anything with it, Ace launches himself at the man, eyes glowing a bloody crimson, and kicks him in the gut sending him flying across the deck. Luffy is by Makino's side in an instant, Marco and Thatch close behind him.

Ace advances on the fallen man, grabbing him by the collar and hauling him up. "How dare you," the Demon hisses, "lay your filthy hands on _my mother_."

Zaki grunts, before smirking and starting to change. His arms shift into wings and his face elongates, teeth turning into fangs. "If you think a mere _child_ such as yourself can defeat _me_, you are sadly mistaken."

Ace sneers, his grip on the pirate before him unyielding, his eyes glowing violently. "If you think you can _scare_ me, then it is _you_ who is sadly mistaken." He pulls Zaki in so they are eye to eye and the pale man pales even more at what he sees in those blood red eyes. "You don't touch what is mine," he hisses, "Or you end up burned."

And then he bursts into flames. The look on the Demon's face is cold and hard as Zaki screams in his grip.

"Ace."

The Demon starts and turns to find Makino looking at him, hand extended toward him. She's trembling. Ace drops Zaki immediately and ignores the crew beating down the rookies and tossing them overboard, heading straight toward the young woman. He kneels next to her, pulling her into his arms burying his face into her hair. He's trembling too. He almost lost Makino. He already lost one mother. He won't lose another.

Luffy is sitting in front them, holding Makino's hand, babbling non-stop. "Makino? Makino? Are you okay? They didn't hurt you did they? Ace kicked his ass so it's okay now. Hey, how did you stop the sword? It was so cool! Do you have magic now? Cause the sword just broke! Just kerck-splosh!" And he keeps going on and on dissolving into sounds and hand gestures .

Ace tilts his head so he can smile at his little brother and Makino starts laughing. Marco and Thatch grin down at them. Whitebeard, after making sure that all of the visiting crew have been tossed off his ship, kneels down beside them.

"Are you alright, Makino?" he asks gently, more so than he would with any of the others on the ship. Because Makino might be part of the crew, but she isn't a pirate.

The woman smiles up at him and wipes her eyes with her free hand. "I'm fine. I've been through worse," she says, "At least I know what my Devil Fruit does now."

"Gurararara! Atta-girl!"

"Makino, you ate a Devil Fruit?" Luffy exclaims, eyes wide.

Ace rolls his eyes. "Moron, she told us three weeks ago."

Luffy just tills his head to the side. "She did?"

And they laugh.

* * *

Marco has become something of a guardian for the boys. It was Luffy first; the little Angel seemed to have formed an attachment from that very first moment on the island. Ace followed, though more reluctantly. After Luffy's night visit, the Phoenix found what he said about walls to be very true. Yet, for some reason, he has been allowed in. Makino had mentioned that Ace was never a very trusting person, and he can see that. He has never understood what made him so special, to be the first person let into their world.

But he has embraced it, after all, the young Angel and Demon are his little brothers and he looks out for his own.

So when Ace wonders off the evening after Zaki's visit, Marco trails after him.

He follows the teen to the figurehead, where he's perched himself, legs folded up to his chest, arms draped across his knees. Ace doesn't acknowledge him as he approaches and Marco doesn't say anything, he just sits down next to the Demon and waits. Sometimes it takes a while, but if he really wants to, Ace will talk. Marco has learned that Ace _likes_ to have someone _he_ can go to. Because for the longest time it's just been him and Luffy and Makino. For the longest time, he's been the one who's had to be strong for the others. He's had to take care of them on his own for years; Luffy was too young to do it himself and Makino was injured not to mention unaccustomed to the style of living that was forced upon them. But now it's different, now Ace has an entire crew of people he can turn to for help if he needs it, and he is gradually learning that.

Marco is content to watch the waves as the sun sinks lower and lower in the sky. It is dark and stars have begun to appear by the time Ace speaks.

"Mama died giving birth to me," he says softly, eyes locked on the waves below him. And just like that, Marco knows that even though Ace was forced to grow up very early in his life, he is still very much a child. "I never got to know her," Ace continues, "Sometimes I think I remember her though."

He falls silent again, eyes cloudy.

"What do you remember?" Marco prompts gently. Because he can see how much this woman means to Ace even if he never knew her. It's not just the fact that she is his mother; there's something deeper there. He's going to have to tread carefully.

"Warmth," Ace says simply. And that single word contains all the wonder in the world. "I remember warmth. And light. A very strong, happy light. And a laugh too, like twinkling bells." He pauses, eyes turning to the stars. "I've been told she was very beautiful. And kind. And gentle." Ace hugs his legs to his chest, resting his chin on his arms. "And she died giving birth to a monster."

Marco finally turns to look at Ace. He looks so forlorn it makes the man's heart ache. "I'm not claiming to be an expert," he says softly, "But I'm sure your mother preferred her death over yours."

Ace's grip on his arms tightens, his knuckles going white. "I'm not so sure," he whispers, eyes very sad and angry, a darkness gathering in them.

Marco frowns; he doesn't like seeing that look on Ace's face. "Ace you can't blame yourself for something like that."

"Maybe," he says, "But I've always wondered what it would be like if Mama lived. What it would be like for her to just _be_ here, ya know? I wanted to know how to feel warm." He pauses again, letting some of the tension drain from his body. "And then I met Luffy and through him, Makino. She had known me for all of two minutes and she started taking care of me." Ace smirks slightly in remembrance. "Didn't even ask me if I wanted her to. She just did it. And when she found out who I was, what I was, she didn't care." His lips twitch into a small smile. "She's not Mama, but she's still my mother," he says softly, sincerely.

And Marco smiles a little because that's how pretty much everyone sees Makino. She's their mother. She's kind and gentle and she's given them all something to protect. She chases away some of Ace's darkness too, and Marco hopes one day he can figure out why it's all there in the first place. "She is very motherly," he says, earning a slight chuckle from Ace, "Is that why you reacted the way you did today?"

Ace nods. "I don't want to lose anyone else," he whispers.

"Then you have to protect them," Marco tells him.

Ace goes silent, eyes lost in thought. Marco lets him, watching the stars, knowing that even if he doesn't speak anymore, Ace likes company – though he would never admit it.

"Do you think I'm a monster?"

Marco turns at the soft question. Coming from anyone else, he would have made some kind of joke about it. But he can tell Ace is serious, more serious than he's ever been about anything.

"No," he says simply, firmly. Ace doesn't say anything, doesn't look at him, but the Phoenix can see the brief flash of surprise that crosses his face. "Are you going to tell me why you think that of yourself?"

"Maybe one day," Ace replies. Then he looks at Marco for the first time since they started talking, a real smile on his face. "Thanks."

Marco just gives him a slight smirk. "Anytime, kid."

* * *

Whitebeard is sitting in his chair, drinking sake and watching his sons work when little Luffy climbs up his leg and perches on his knee, straw hat planted firmly on his head. The kid's a bold little snot, he'll give him that much. Never showed the slightest hint of fear. Makino's told him it's because he saw Marco as a good person, otherwise, the Angel would have never set foot on their ship. He's not quite sure what the boy sees that is so good; they are pirates after all and they've done things most people would cringe at. But Luffy doesn't seem to care in the slightest, going along at his own pace.

"Ne, Giant Ossan?"

"Yes, cheeky brat?"

Honestly, the Yonko is expecting him to ask for another story; he never seems to tire of them, and Whitebeard has a lot to tell.

"What's your dream?"

That makes him stop and look down at the Angel. His face is serious in a curious kind of way, big brown eyes staring up at him earnestly. He wasn't really expecting that question, but it doesn't surprise him all that much. The boy is a dreamer after all, with a rather large one of his own, but he's never really taken an interest in any one else's dreams aside from Ace's.

"I already have my dream, brat," he says.

And Luffy's eyes light up. "What is it?"

"To have a family," he replies simply.

The boy stares at him for a minute, face blank, before the biggest grin breaks out on his face and he laughs, light and gleeful, eyes twinkling. "Shishishi! That's a good dream!"

Whitebeard chuckles. "Glad you approve, brat."

Luffy grins before jumping down from his lap, landing squarely on Thatch's shoulders.

"Thatch is it!" he yells before darting off.

"Luffy! Get back here!" the Fourth Division Commander yells after him as he chases him down.

Whitebeard just chuckles at the boy's antics. Somehow, the ship is much more lively with him around.

* * *

Haruta raises an eyebrow as she sees Ace and Luffy crouched on the floor peering around the corner while smothering giggles.

"What are you two doing?" she asks.

Immediately both of them whirl around with identical 'I-didn't-do-it' faces before seeing that it's her; upon which they both put a finger to their lips and promptly shush her. She opens her mouth to ask again what the heck they are doing when they each grabbed one of her wrists and pulled her down to crouch next to them.

"Shhhh," hisses Ace.

"What the hell are you two up too?" she whispers.

"Surprise!" Luffy chirps quietly.

Suddenly, there is a mini explosion in the room down the hall and people are running out of it, screaming and holding their hands over their faces. Haruta recognizes Thatch as he runs by, screaming shrilly at the top of his lungs. The Twelfth Division Commander raises an eyebrow.

"Was he pink?" she questions.

Next to her, Ace and Luffy burst out in hysterical laughter.

* * *

Makino is grinning as she sits between Marco and Rakuyo with the newspaper in hand. Ace and Luffy are there, already shoveling breakfast down their throats like the bottomless pits they are.

"What are you so happy about this early in the morning?" Rakuyo asks handing her a cup of coffee.

"Oh, nothing," she replies, "There was just something interesting in this morning's paper."

Izo raises and eyebrow across from her. "Oh? Interesting how?"

Marco suddenly whistles and everyone turns to see him reading the paper. Namur and Thatch lean over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of what he's reading and Namur's mouth falls open while Thatch chokes on his food.

"What?" Rakuyo asks, getting a little impatient.

Makino rolls her eyes, but she's grinning, so the effect is ruined slightly, and grabs the newspaper, placing it on the table for everyone to see. It's a bounty poster. Not just any bounty poster though. Printed across it in very clear letters is the name Portgas D. Ace.

Silence.

"Holy shit!" Thatch exclaims when he can finally breathe again.

"What do you think did it?" Izo asks.

"Probably that marine fleet he took out two weeks ago," Rakuyo replies.

Ace perks up at that, automatically coming to his own defense after two weeks of teasing. "That was _not_ my fault," he says, "Those marines were assholes and totally had it coming. Besides, they started it!"

Marco chuckles. "Relax, kid. We're not teasing you."

"This time," Thatch adds.

Ace raises an eyebrow and Makino smiles, pushing the paper on the table closer to him. The Demon looks down at it and his jaw drops.

"What the –" he exclaims grabbing the paper. Luffy looks up from inhaling his food at all of the commotion and takes a peek over his brother's shoulder.

The Angel's eyes go wide with wonder. "Wow, Ace," he whispers.

Ace looks up at them, not even commenting on their amused smirks. "Is this good?" he asks.

"For a first bounty?" Namur clarifies. Ace nods.

"Considering we're in the New World and it's your first bounty, I'd say it's pretty good," Marco says with a crooked grin.

"Though now the marines will be hounding your ass like there's no tomorrow," Thatch comments.

"That's not necessarily true," Izo points out, "He's on Oyaji's ship."

"Point," Thatch concedes, "There aren't many marines that are willing to brave Oyaji."

"Ace would have gotten into trouble sooner or later," Makino says, taking a sip of her coffee, an oddly proud smile on her face.

Ace grins at her.

"That's so cool, Ace!" Luffy suddenly exclaims as he bounces up and down in his seat, "You have a bounty!"

His shout has heads turning and everyone is suddenly asking questions and offering congratulations.

"Really?"

"That's great!"

"How much is it?"

"Was it the marine fleet incident?"

"I told you something was going to happen because of that."

"You did not, you liar!"

"Who cares? Ace has his first bounty!'

"We're so proud of you, kid!"

"Damn, that's pretty good for a first bounty."

"Well our Ace is a special guy!"

"That's right!"

"This calls for a party!"

"Break out the booze!"

And Ace is dragged into the throng of people, all of them clapping him on the back, ruffling his hair, throwing an arm over his shoulder, offering him a proud smile. The Demon is overwhelmed at first, all of the crew's praise muffled by surprise. But as it fades, Ace finds himself grinning and laughing along with them.

Makino watches him with a fond smile, her eyes wet.

"You okay there Makino?" Thatch asks, a teasing tone in his voice.

Makino laughs and wipes her eyes. "Yes, yes," she says, "I'm perfectly fine."

Thatch laughs at her and the commanders all grin at the commotion.

"Nothing like a party first thing in the morning," Rakuyo says.

They laugh.

"He's happy," Luffy suddenly says, causing those at the table to turn to him.

"Should he not be happy?" Namur asks, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

Luffy shakes his head, a soft smile on his face as he turns to looks at Marco and Makino. "His walls are coming down," the Angel says.

The others are confused, but Marco and Makino share a knowing look. They turn to see Ace laughing and celebrating in the crowd of people.

And they smile.

* * *

Selma frowns as she wraps bandages around Luffy's arm for what seems like the thousandth time. Which is probably an accurate count.

"Honestly," she says, scolding the little rubber boy sitting in front of her as she wraps his wounds, sparing a glance at the next bed over to see Nick doing the same to Ace, "You two are in here every day, I swear. Can't you stop looking for trouble for ten minutes?"

"Shishishishishi! Nope!" Luffy giggles.

Ace just pouts innocently. "But we don't go looking for trouble; it sits there and waits for us to walk around the corner."

Luffy nods vigorously in agreement.

"For some reason I find that hard to believe," Nick deadpans, tying off the last of Ace's bandages.

"You don't believe us," Ace says, a very believable hurt edge lining his words.

Selma gives an unladylike snort. "All I know is that the infirmary was nowhere near this busy before the two of you came on board."

"But we like visiting you, Selma!" Luffy exclaims, "You are the best at making the ochies go away!"

Selma struggles not to falter under that puppy-dog face, wide, innocent eyes looking up at her earnestly.

"You can visit without getting hurt," Nick says dryly, saving Selma from The Face.

"But then it's so boring," Ace whines.

"Portgas D. Ace, if I find out you are getting your injuries on purpose, so help me…"

Ace laughs. "We're not, we're not! Honest!"

Selma just whacks the pair of them over the head. "That's it! Out you two! I have better things to do with my time than fix you!"

"You love us," Ace taunts.

Selma grabs a scalpel that just happens to be in reach and throws it at the teen. Ace ducks, the knife embedding itself in the wood where his head used to be. Ace and Luffy glance at the scalpel, then each other, then Selma, then each other again. They turn back to the woman with identical grins.

"We love you too," they singsong, and then take off before she can throw anything else at them.

Selma groans and messages her temples. "Those two will be the death of me."

Nick just pats her shoulder sympathetically.

* * *

Ace stares at the door in front of him, wanting to step forward and knock, but that same dark fear that's always in the back of his mind is holding him back. Whitebeard is on the other side of the door. The man who took him and Luffy and Makino in almost two years ago. Two years of living at sea. Two years of being free. Two years without silence. Two years of being accepted. Two years of happiness. He doesn't think he's ever been this happy, save for when he met his brothers, when he realized that Makino was his new mother. He doesn't want it to end. But he's been uneasy. Besides Luffy and Makino, no one on the ship _knows_. It's putting him on edge, keeping the secret. But would saying it out loud change anything? Would it make anything worse?

Ace doesn't know.

He doesn't know if he really wants to do this. It could ruin everything.

The choice is taken out of his hands when Whitebeard calls out from inside.

"Don't stand there all night, Ace. If you're going to come in, come in."

The Demon blinks, startled, before hesitantly pushing the door open and slipping inside. Whitebeard is laying propped up on his bed, a bottle of sake – which he has likely snuck past both Makino and the nurses – in his hand. Ace fidgets nervously at the end of the bed and the giant man raises an eyebrow at the tension pouring off the teen in waves. Ace is never nervous. Not that he lets anyone see anyway.

"What is it, son?" he asks.

Ace flinches.

And Whitebeard notices.

The Demon can't help it. It's just that word. And the one that goes with it. What is implied when the Yonko says it.

_Son._

_Father._

Ace _hates_ that connection. It's painful. So very painful. He is no one's son. No even _his_. He has no father. And that's the way he wants it. But…is it really? He hears that word thrown around often. Everyone is either _son_ or _daughter_. And they like it. They call this man _father_ in return and he can see how happy it makes all of them. How much a simple word lights up their world. He doesn't understand though; isn't sure if he wants too. He's never associated those words with happiness before. It's all so…strange to him.

"Ace?"

Ace's brown eyes snap to worried gold ones and he swallows. "Why…why do you call me that?" he whispers.

Whitebeard tilts his head to the side slightly. "Call you what?"

Ace fidgets, shifting from foot to foot, fisting his hands in his shorts. "…son."

"Because to me you are," Whitebeard says simply. He watches as the teen in front of him presses his lips into a thin line, the strange mix of curiosity, fear, and hope that flashes across his eyes. "What is it you want to tell me, Ace?"

Ace's eyes widen and he quickly lowers them to the floor. Should he say it? He's already come this far. Is it really that bad? Ace takes a deep, steadying breath and, before he can talk himself out of it, he looks the Yonko in the eyes and asks _that_ question.

"What would you do if Gold Roger had a son?"

Whitebeard stills and looks at Ace, sees the seriousness in his eyes. The pain. The fear. So that's what the problem has been.

"I'm meant to care?" he asks.

Ace starts, surprised by the answer. "But…weren't you two enemies?" he asks slowly, like he can't believe what he's just heard.

"What would that have to do with his son?" Whitebeard takes a drink of his sake. "Whatever crimes Roger did or did not commit against me are between me and him, no one else."

The Demon stares at him, eyes wide and surprised. He shifts nervously again. "It's me," he says softly, "I'm his son."

His voice is barely a whisper, but no amount of courage he's gathered can make him admit it louder. Whitebeard hears him regardless. And he does what Ace least expects of him. He laughs.

"That's a bit of a surprise," he says, "You don't act much like Roger."

Ace is quiet, staring openly, awe clearly displayed on his features.

"Is that what's been holding you back?" the Yonko asks curiously.

That startles that teen out of his stupor and he smiles weakly at the giant man before him. "People don't…think well of me," he says softly, looking down at his hands, "Even if they don't know it's me. Be it as Roger's son or the Demon, I'm still some kind of monster."

Whitebeard scoffs. "What fools have you been listening to? Anyone with half a brain in their head will tell you differently." He takes another drink. "When you came in here, I thought it was something important."

Ace smiles a real smile then and takes a page from his brother's book and climbs into the giant man's lap. Whitebeard just chuckles at him and the Demon looks up at him shyly, looking a little unsure again.

"Whitebeard, can I…can I be your son?" he asks with an uncharacteristic timidness.

Whitebeard laughs, mussing the teen's black hair with a giant finger. "You've been my son since you set foot on this boat, brat."

Ace grins. "Thank you, Oyaji."

* * *

Ace can feel the stares on his back as he enters the galley, the crew's eyes roaming over the new, but very familiar, mark that has been inked into his skin. He smiles at Whitebeard and politely chirps a good morning to the Yonko before getting his breakfast. The crew just can't stop staring. Amusement dances in Whitebeard's eyes as he watches his sons. The Demon sits across from Marco, who smirks at him knowingly.

"Done thinking then?" he asks.

The seventeen year old just gives the man a cheeky grin.

Makino walks in shortly after and the crew is _still_ staring at Ace's back. Makino follows their eyes, glancing at the teen's back for a moment, before turning to Whitebeard with a bright, knowing grin.

"Good morning, Oyaji," she says.

Whitebeard laughs. "Good morning, daughter."

The crew stares. For the first time in years, Makino has addressed their captain as father.

Izo glances at Ace's back and then at Makino. "We'll know when the time comes," he muses with a slight grin, remembering that morning conversation from a year ago.

Haruta sits next to him, staring. "She couldn't have just said that then?" she asks, whining. But the smile on her lips ruins the effect slightly.

Slowly, the crew comes around, snapping out of their shock and shouting questions and congratulations. Ace just laughs at them, his whole face alight, his brown eyes twinkling. In the middle of all the ruckus, Luffy stumbles into the galley, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"What's with all of the noise?" he whines, pouting like a child.

Thomas laughs and claps him on the shoulder. "Your brother finally made up his mind!" the man exclaims, "Now we just need you an' Makino to come around and we'll be set!"

Luffy blinks before whirling around to look at Ace. He walks up to his brother, his brown eyes locked onto the new tattoo, his expression oddly blank. Ace shows no reaction to Luffy's approach and Maknio is watching them with a calm smile. The others are a little more confused. They can't tell if Luffy is upset or not. He doesn't look happy. He doesn't look anything really. And that is a little disconcerting. Whitebeard watches calmly, as do his commanders, though most of them, excluding Marco and Jozu, look a little worried. Ace continues eating right up until the point where Luffy reaches out a hand, brushing his fingertips over the inked mark.

The Demon closes his eyes and stills, surrendering himself to the Angel's touch. Luffy traces every inch of the tattoo, and when he's finished, he presses his palm flat against the center of it. Ace tilts his head back and opens his eyes to look up at his little brother. They stare at each other blankly for a moment before Ace smiles gently.

Luffy grins his typical grin and laughs. "Welcome home, Ace," he says.

There is silence for a moment until Ace starts laughing. Makino joins in and soon enough, the entire crew is joining in, laughing and cheering. Luffy wonders away from his brother and over to Whitebeard. He stands in front of the Yonko sternly, straw hat planted firmly on his head, arms crossed over his chest. Whitebeard raises an eyebrow at the fourteen year old before him. He looks more serious than he ever has been.

"Ace joined your crew," he says.

"He did," the giant man replies.

Luffy looks at him sternly. "I'm not going to," he declares loudly over the din of the galley, causing heads to turn once again, "I won't take your mark."

"Oh?" Whitebeard asks, golden eyes twinkling in amusement, "And why's that?"

Luffy grins, wide and dangerous and determined. "Because the Pirate King doesn't have a captain."

Whitebeard laughs. "Gurarararararara! You've got a long way to go, brat!"

The young teen giggles and looks at his brother's chosen captain fondly, a child-like smile on his lips. "But you can still be my Oyaji."

The Yonko snorts. "Brat," he says with a grin, "You've been my son since you set foot on this boat."

Ace grins from where he's listening and Luffy laughs.

Makino smiles, taking a sip of her coffee. "I suppose it's time to get a tattoo of my own then," she muses aloud.

She laughs at the wide eyed stares she receives.

* * *

Soon the tattoo on Ace's back and the simpler one on Makino's left wrist become a regular thing. Luffy grins at them, but stands firm in his decision: he will not carry Whitebeard's mark. That's fine though.

He's still their little brother without it.

Some short months after officially taking up Whitebeard's mark, Ace becomes the Second Division Commander. It's a bit of a change, Ace being in charge of people, but things slide into place quickly and the Demon easily and readily steps up to his new duties and responsibilities, just as his family knew he would.

* * *

Thatch walks into the commander's meeting room, a light blush staining his cheeks.

The commanders, minus Ace, are gathered around a table playing card games and making bets. Makino sits off to the side watching their exchanges in amusement, a needle and thread in hand as she mends the pile of clothes in the basket at her feet.

"What's with the face, Thatch? And where's Ace?" Jiru asks.

Thatch awkwardly clears his throat as he retakes his seat. "Ace won't be joining us," he says, "He's a bit…occupied at the moment."

Everyone looks at him curiously.

"What the hell does that mean?" Izo demands.

"Well…" Thatch trials off, rubbing the back of his neck.

Makino raises an eyebrow at him, taking in his awkward body language and his flushed features. She's become very good at reading body language ever since Ace and Luffy's prolonged silence and the fact that they speak readily now has not changed that. So when she looks at Thatch, she is quick to grasp what has happened.

She gasps out loud, making the commanders turn to her as she stands up, mending forgotten. "They didn't!" she says, completely ignoring the looks she gets, "I told them to tell me first!"

"Um, Makino –" Thatch starts, but the woman rushes out of the room before he can finish.

They hear a door slam open at the end of the hall.

"What are you two doing?" Makino's voice sounds.

"Makino! What the hell?" Ace yells.

"I told you to tell me before you ever did anything!" the woman exclaims.

"LIKE HELL! Besides we haven't even done anything!"

"That's not what it looked like!"

"Well that's your own fault for not knocking!"

"If I had knocked, you would have stopped!"

"Well, duh! What kind of person wants to walk in on _that_?"

"You should have told me! You're still a child!"

"I'm nineteen!"

"That doesn't mean you know everything you need to!"

"Why are we yelling?" Luffy asks, yelling himself.

There is silence for a moment and all of the commanders are trying to peak through the door to see what's going on down the hall.

"Luffy did you understand what was going on before I came in?" Makino asks, calmer than before.

"What do you mean?" the Angel replies.

"I mean do you know what you and Ace were doing?"

"Well, yeah," he says, "We were –"

"WE ARE NOT HAVING THIS CONVERSATION!" Ace cuts in.

"Oh yes we are," Makino says firmly.

"No we're not!" Ace denies.

"We are or I am going to lock you and Luffy into your own _separate_ barriers until we do. That means no talking and no touching."

"WHAT?! THAT'S COMPLETELY UNFAIR!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I WON'T BE ABLE TO TOUCH ACE?! WHY NOT?!"

"Because, Luffy," Makino says calmly, "This is very important conversation, no matter how embarrassing it is."

"Embarrassing? Why is it embarrassing?" Luffy asks. "Ace?"

Ace doesn't answer.

Makino sighs. "Luffy do you know what sex is?"

The commanders' eyes widen and they all whip around to look at Thatch, who coughs awkwardly into his fist.

"Just what the hell did you walk in on?" Marco hisses.

"Did you even knock?" Fossa asks.

Thatch flushes and averts his eyes. That's answer enough.

"…is it a type of food?" Luffy asks.

The commanders collectively sigh, some of them face palming. Luffy is Luffy, pure and innocent through and through it seems.

Ace groans and a thud sounds down the hall. Probably the Demon hitting his head on the wall.

Makino sighs. "No Luffy, it is not food."

"Oh. What is it then?"

"It's –"

Haruta quickly shuts the door, almost catching Vista's mustache and Izo's kimono in it.

"Oi! Be a little more careful!" the cross-dresser says.

"What was that for?" Rakuyo asks.

Haruta frowns, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't know about the rest of you, but having the Talk once in my life was enough, thank you very much."

Several of the commanders shudder.

"Seems out littlest brothers are growing up," Blamenco says after a beat of silence.

"They grow up so fast," Fossa says with a sigh, taking a drag from his cigar.

"I do feel a bit sorry for them though," Vista comments.

Jozu huffs. "Almost."

Marco chuckles. "Well one thing's for sure," he says, "Tomorrow morning is going to be very interesting."

* * *

The first thing Thatch says to Ace when he sits down in the galley the next morning is not his usual greeting. Instead, the older man grins wickedly and asks, "So how was last night?"

The younger commander stares at him blankly for a moment before his cheeks flush and he groans. "You heard."

"Kind of hard not to, my friend," Blenheim says with a grin, "You weren't exactly quiet."

"Sooooooo," Thatch probes, poking the Demon's shoulder, "How'd it go?"

Ace glares. "I thought you were listening," he mocks.

Haruta snorts. "We already had the Talk once, Ace. We didn't need it again."

"But that doesn't mean we don't want all the juicy details of what you did afterwards," Izo chimes.

Ace's blush darkens. "That is none of your damn business."

"But Ace," Thatch whines, "You must tell us!"

"I 'must' do nothing."

"Did you have sex?" Izo asks eagerly.

"What are you, a teenage girl?!" Ace exclaims, flustered beyond measure.

"Maa, you're no fun, Ace," Haruta complains.

"Why the hell do you need to know?!"

"It's not every day our little brother stars having sex," Vista says.

Ace just groans and lets his head fall onto the table. "You guys are evil," he moans.

The commanders just chuckle at him. That's when Luffy makes his way over, plopping himself down next to Ace.

"Hm? Ace? Did you fall asleep again?" he asks, poking the Demon's shoulder.

"So, Luffy," Izo says, "how was last night?"

Luffy cocks his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"Did you do anything with Ace last night?" Thatch asks, putting a hand down on the younger commander when he makes a move to stop his brother.

"Huh? Well, we kissed, but then Makino walked in and she got really upset. She even threatened to separate us," the Angel says with a pout.

"Did you do anything after?" Haruta prods.

Luffy blinks at her, face blank. "We slept…" he trails off, looking at the expectant faces around him (some of them could care less, but Thatch, Izo, Haruta, and Vista are staring at him with wide eyes), "Wait…ooooooohhhhhh. Are you guys talking about that sex thing Makino told us about?"

"Yes!" Thatch and Izo exclaim.

"Nu-huh," he says, shaking his head, "We didn't do any of that. Yet, anyways," he continues bluntly, ignorant to both the stunned looks he is receiving for talking about it so openly and Ace struggling to get free from Thatch's arms. "Makino explained everything to us though. Some of it was really…weird," he makes a face and the commanders can only imagine, "But she told us about girls too and I don't understand why," he goes on, an honestly confused expression on his face, "I mean Ace is a boy, so why would I need to know what to do with a girl?"

That makes Ace stop struggling, a dark flush covering his face to the tips of his ears and the roots of his hair, and the commanders stare.

"So you'll only do it with Ace then?" Vista asks after a beat.

"Why would I do it with anyone else?" Luffy asks, tone and face both clearly saying that he thinks this should be painfully obvious to them, "I love Ace more than anyone, so only he can have me. He's my soul."

The commanders have nothing to say to that, Luffy's simple explanation having stunned them into silence. Ace has stopped struggling and Thatch releases him as he watches his brother through half lidded eyes. The Angel smiles at him and Ace just sighs.

"Love you too, moron," he says softly before pressing a quick kiss to the younger teen's lips, "Now eat your breakfast."

Luffy just giggles. "Shishishishi! Okay!" he chirps.

Marco chuckles. "Soulmates indeed," he muses, taking a sip of his coffee.

* * *

Blood.

There's so much of it. It's _everywhere_. There's just so much _red_. Everything hurts. Moving has never been this hard before. How could he have been so strong? Why didn't he see it sooner?

Black closes around the edges of his vision, but he forces it away. He can't pass out right now; Thatch needs him. As much as he wants to, as much as his body is screaming at him to just give in, he knows that if he does, Thatch will die. He doesn't want Thatch to die. So he crawls, slowly and painstakingly, over to the unconscious body lying in a pool of blood. He gathers his nakama into his arms and chokes back the fear and the guilt – _if he had just been a little faster, if he had acted sooner_ – that is trying to claw its way out of his throat.

He presses shaky hands to the bloody wound in Thatch's side, the sticky, warm, red liquid staining his fingers. He's trembling and can't figure out how to stop. It's too much like before; the screaming, the fire, the blood. It's like seeing Makino drip red as she bleeds out all over again. It's like seeing Sabo's lifeless body, that strangely content grin that his brother wore flashing across his memory. It's like seeing the corpses of every person he ever knew rotting in the ruined ashes of the only home he had ever known. His eyes burn with tears and he struggles to keep breathing normally. He's not there, this isn't the same. That was then, this is now. It's different now. It has to be.

Luffy finds himself wishing, not for the first time, that he could heal any wound. He can't stand this helplessness, this powerlessness. It makes him feel empty.

"Please don't die," he whispers brokenly, pressing tighter against the wound, feeling Thatch's faint pulse echoing against his body. He doesn't know what else to do. He doesn't know what to do. He can't think as the tears finally fall from his eyes and a sob tears itself from his throat. He screams.

"ACE! MAKINO! OYAJI! MARCO! SOMEONE! HELP ME!" he screams brokenly to the sky, they are the only ones on deck now, everyone else is still asleep; it's still the early hours of the morning. But someone has to hear him. They _have_ to.

Luffy can't move, can't stop trembling. He tries to fight off the heaving sobs because they won't do Thatch any good. He doesn't know what to do. He doesn't know what to do. He doesn't know. "HELP ME!"

He sobs again, taking a deep, shuddering breath before coughing up a stream of blood. Can anyone hear him? Will they come? He doesn't want Thatch to die. He doesn't want that. But he doesn't know what to do. Doesn't know how to fix it. How does he fix it?

"Luffy!"

He jerks, tearing his eyes away from Thatch's face to look up into Marco's worried eyes.

"Luffy, what happened?" He asks calmly.

"T-Thatch was – he was…I don't – "

"Shhhhh," the Phoenix says, reaching out to rub the back of the Angel's neck, "Breathe, you're okay now. Calm down and then tell me what happened."

Vaguely, Luffy is aware of Thatch's body being taken from his arms. He turns and sees Selma looking him over, her face going dark before she stars shouting orders that the gathering crew scrambles to obey. Nick kneels by her side and helps her start cleaning the wound, whispering to her in hushed tones. Makino appears in his field of vision, eyes worried. She says something to him, but for some reason, he can't hear it. He is suddenly back _there_ again and Makino is bleeding and there's so much _red_ –

"Luffy!"

"Luffy, you need to calm down!"

Marco and Makino are yelling and he can hear them again and Makino's here and _alive_ and _not bleeding_ and he suddenly realizes he's breathing way too fast. He forces himself to take a deep, shuddering breath and lets it out slowly.

"You're okay, Luffy," Makino says, running her fingers through his sweat and blood matted hair, "You just have to breathe."

"Makino – " He's cut off by a wet cough.

"Easy," Marco says, gripping his shoulder, "You don't need to rush."

"How is he?"

The three of them look up to see Whitebeard kneeling over them, expression gravely serious, but eyes worried.

"Oyaji!" Luffy cries, trying to get to his father figure, only for Marco and Makino to force him back down, "Oyaji! Teach! He – he…Thatch's Devil Fruit!"

"Shhhh, easy lad," Whitebeard soothes, locking eyes with his youngest, exuding nothing but calm, "Slow down and try again."

Luffy takes a deep breath, nerves finally settling under Whitebeard's golden gaze. "T-Teach wanted Thatch's Devil Fruit, s-so h-he, he tried to…he attacked Thatch. I tried to stop him…but he…" Luffy trails off, eyes growing distant.

"_**What?"**_

They turn to see Ace standing on deck. He looks calm, but there's something deadly about it, something dangerous. His eyes are glowing crimson and black is flickering around the edges. Luffy feels a sudden chill go down his spine and all of his instincts scream at him to _get rid of the Demon_ but the Demon is Ace and he would never make Ace leave him because he loves him and needs him and he will never let him go. But he doesn't like this feeling and he wants it to go away.

"A-Ace," and damnit all, why can't he stop stuttering?

Ace snarls and the black in his eyes grows darker. Luffy shoves Marco and Makino away from him, actually fights them when they try to hold him back, and crawls across the deck towards his brother. Trembling hands reach up and grasp black shorts as he stares up at the Demon. Ace isn't looking at him; his eyes are locked on the pools of bloods staining the deck.

"Ace," Luffy calls, tugging at the shorts in his grip, "Ace, stop it."

But the Demon isn't listening. The Angel feels him start to shift and doesn't know why his instincts _scream_ at him that this is bad and it needs to stop _right now._ Because if it doesn't he's going to have to do something he won't want to and he doesn't like the way this thing inside him wants to hurt Ace and he just wants it to _go away _but he doesn't know how to make it stop so he cries out desperately.

"ACE, STOP IT!"

Ace looks down at him, eyes almost completely black, and _glares_ at Luffy. The Angel whimpers when he feels the intent behind those eyes, the bloodlust, the hate. That isn't Ace. "Ace, stop it," he says choking on a sob, "Stop. Come back." He looks up into his brother's eyes as fresh tears start streaming down his face. "Please don't leave me," he chokes out in a barely audible whisper.

For a long moment, nothing happens.

Then Luffy sees a spark of recognition in those dark eyes and the black starts to gradually recede. The crimson fades soon after and Ace falls to his knees in front of his brother. Luffy wastes no time throwing his arms around the Demon's shoulders as he finally gives into his sobs. "Ace! Ace, Ace, Ace, Ace!"

A hand comes up to tangle in his hair. "Shhh, it's okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry. I won't leave you. It's okay. Shhhhh."

Dimly, the Angel hears the crew confirming that one of the lifeboats is missing and that Teach is gone. He feels Makino and Marco approach, knows that they're talking, probably about something important. But he can't make himself care. He shuffles as close as he can to Ace, his face buried in the Demon's neck, his body trembling even as his sobs calm. The strong arms around him tighten reassuringly and he finally lets himself succumb to the darkness.

* * *

Ace doesn't leave Luffy's side.

He and Thatch have been under Selma and Nick's constant watch for the past three days. Neither one has shown any sign of waking. Ace sits silently by his Angel's side during the day and curls around him protectively at night. Makino sits with them to sometimes and the rest of the crew filters in and out of the infirmary.

It's sometime mid-morning on the fourth day that Thatch wakes up. Marco had just walked in with some breakfast for Ace when the Fourth Division Commander suddenly groans. The pair of them are immediately at his side as his eye flutter open.

"Marco?" he croaks, voice hoarse from lack of use, "Ace?"

"We're here," Marco says, "How are you feeling?"

Thatch squints, trying to focus. "Dunno," he replies, still somewhat groggy. Then he blinks a few times and his eyes go wide. "Shit!" he exclaims, bolting upright in bed only to grab his side when his body protests the movement. He pushes the pain away though. "Where's Luffy? What happened? Is Teach –"

"Easy, Thatch," Marco says, laying a hand on the man's shoulder.

"Luffy's fine," Ace adds, moving to the side so his fellow commander can see Luffy lying in the bed next to his.

Thatch relaxes and lets Marco push him back into his pillows.

"As to what happened," Marco continues, "Luffy got us on deck a little before day break and managed to tell us that Teach attacked you for your Devil Fruit and that you tried to fight him off, but that was about it. He was pretty hysterical."

"It's the PTSD," Ace cuts in softly, "Selma diagnosed all three of us with it. It's not so bad most of the time. We can deal with fire and blood well enough, kind of had to with my abilities and all, even death to an extent, as long as it's not someone we're attached to." Ace pauses, turning to glance at Luffy's slumbering form. "Seeing you covered in blood was probably what triggered it, Thatch. Probably reminded him of when Makino almost bled out."

Thatch rubs the back of his neck, face apologetic, and Marco has pressed his lips into a grim line.

"Oyaji knows about it," the Demon adds, almost as an afterthought.

Marco sighs. "We managed to calm him down, but he passed out before we really got anything," he says.

"We checked the ship, no sign of Teach," Ace adds, "Where ever he is, he's long gone by now."

"If he's smart, he'll leave New World," Thatch comments.

Marco nods. "Most likely. Oyaji hasn't acted on anything yet; wanted to wait for you, preferably both of you, to wake up."

Thatch's brow furrows. "How long have we been out?"

"A little over three days," Ace answers.

The older man grimaces and rolls his shoulders. "Well that explains a few things," he groans.

"Anything you can tell us about what happened?" Marco asks, arms crossed over his chest.

Thatch shrugs. "There isn't really much to tell," he says, "Other than Teach is a bloody coward. He was quite literally going to stab me in the back. Would have worked too, if Luffy hadn't called a warning in time; he caught me in the side instead."

"That was a _missed_ shot?" Ace asks, eyes wide in disbelief, "He nearly killed you anyway!"

"Like I said, it was a close call."

Marco runs a hand through his hair. "Well this is a fine mess."

Ace shrugs. "Not much we can do about it right now."

"He's right," Thatch says reluctantly, "We don't know anything about the situation; acting now would be jumping in blind."

"Ace…"

The three of them turn to see Luffy frowning in his sleep, his head turned toward them. Ace is next to him in an instant.

"I'm right here, Lu," he whispers.

Luffy sighs and his lips curve into a small smile. Ace runs his fingers through his little brother's hair, pressing a kiss to his forehead. The Demon sighs as he pulls away, brushing his fingers over Luffy's cheek.

"And then there's Luffy," Marco says.

Ace stays on Luffy's bed, taking hold of one of the younger's hands. "He'll wake up soon," he says firmly.

Thatch and Marco don't say anything.

* * *

Two more days pass.

When Luffy finally wakes up, it isn't slow or gradual. He sits bolt upright, startling Ace awake, and, in typical Luffy fashion, the first words out of his mouth are:

"I'm hungry."

Ace stares at him blankly for a moment before breaking out into gut-wrenching laughter and tackling his brother back onto the bed. Luffy gasps in surprise, his entire face lighting up when he realizes just who is on top of him.

"Ace!"

"You moron," Ace says with a grin when he's finally calmed down.

Luffy just giggles and drags his other half to the galley, ignoring Ace's protests about letting Selma look him over. The Angel knows that Selma will be mad. But he needs food and he needs it now, so she is going to have to wait. When the enter the galley, everyone has just started lunch and a hush falls over the crew for all of five seconds before they all start shouting in unison.

"LUFFY! YOU'RE AWAKE!"

The teen grins, showing all of his teeth and laughs. When he spots Thatch sitting with Marco and Whitebeard, the Fourth Division Commander has about no time to brace himself before he's faced with an armful of Luffy.

"Thatch!" he cries, wrapping rubbery arms around the man's torso, burying his face in his chest. Thatch grunts as all of the air rushes from his lungs and his not-quite healed wound twinges painfully. But he can't bring himself to pull away when the kid looks up at him practically radiating happiness.

Of course, Luffy lets go himself when Makino places a huge plate of food on the table in front of him and his attention is otherwise occupied. And if Luffy doesn't normally sit in Thatch's lap during lunch, well, no one says anything.

* * *

"Good luck, Luffy!"

"You sure you wanna start in East Blue?"

"We'll miss you!"

"Get a strong crew!"

"Make sure to give the Marines hell!"

"Do you have enough food, Bay? Luffy's a bottomless pit!"

"Go kick some ass, brat!"

"Damn, I'm gettin' all emotional!"

"The hell, man! Men don't cry!"

"They do when there littlest brother is leaving!"

"They grow up so fast…"

Luffy smiles up at the crew leaning over the rail of the Moby Dick, waving and shouting goodbyes. "Don't worry, guys!" he tells them, he pauses takes a deep breath and then yells at the top of his lungs, "I'M GOING TO BE PIRATE KING!"

The crew laughs as one, cheering him on.

"Luffy!" Makino yells, "Be sure to have lots of adventures!"

Luffy grins. "I will!"

"And Bay! If he misbehaves, don't let him have any meat!"

"Makino…" the Angel whines.

Whitey Bay laughs at his pout. "I'll keep that in mind, Makino!" she turns to her temporary charge, "Ready to go, kid?"

He grins. "Yeah!"

"Leaving without saying goodbye?"

The Angel turns to see Ace perched on the rail of the ship, a sly grin on his face.

"Why would I say goodbye if I'm just going to see you again?" Luffy asks, grinning right back.

Ace laughs and hops off the rail, walking up to his brother and pulling him into a tight embrace. Makino smiles softly at the sight; she'll have to keep an eye on Ace in the coming weeks. She'd keep an eye on Luffy to if she could. This would be the first time they would be apart since met a little over ten years ago, parting would be difficult. But Luffy is determined to follow his dream and Ace would never even think of trying to stop him. Luffy and his dreams go hand in hand, much like pirates and the sea; to try and separate them is nothing short of madness. So Whitey Bay offered to cart her youngest brother back to the East Blue to start his crew, as Whitebeard suddenly leaving the Grand Line would probably cause something of a stir.

Ace pulls away and Luffy smiles at him before leaning up and pressing their lips together. It's nothing new but the nurses still coo over them, while some of the men shout "Get a room!" before laughing like loons.

Marco rolls his eyes. "Gotta love family," he says.

Thatch snorts next to him, leaning back against the rail. "Can't live with them."

"Can't live without them," Makino finishes with a giggle.

"It's going to be so boring without him here," Thatch whines.

Marco pats his shoulder. "You do realize we still have Ace, right?"

Thatch pauses. "Ace is rather good when it comes to pranks," the commander contemplates out loud. Marco rolls his eyes and Makino hides a smile. "Still, I'm gonna miss that kid. I remember when he was just a brat!"

"He's still a brat," Marco says dryly.

"A smaller brat," Thatch corrects.

Makino just laughs at them.

Ace pulls away from his Angel and Luffy grins up at him. "Love you," he chirps.

The Demon grins and pinches his cheek. "You too, moron."

"Shishishishishi!"

Whitey Bay rolls her eyes from where she stands watching them, a smile twitching on her lips. "Alright you two, we doing this or not?"

Ace sighs, but releases his brother. "See you at the top, little brother," he says with a smirk.

Luffy flashes him that same wide, determined grin that leaves no doubts and he leans down to press one last kiss to the Angel's forehead before jumping back to the Moby Dick. Luffy's eyes follow him and Ace turns to look back as him with a small, fond smile. The Angel laughs and waves at the crew.

"See you later guys! When I come back, you can meet my crew! And they'll be stronger than you guys!"

The crew shouts protests at that, though they're all wearing good natured grins.

"Gurararararara!" Whitebeard laughs, "You cheeky brat! Make us proud!"

"Shishishishi! See you later, Oyaji!"

Whitey Bay grins. "See you in a few weeks, Oyaji," she says, "Set sail!"

"Aye, Captain!"

Luffy grins and rushes to the figurehead of Bay's ship, throwing both of his arms into the air.

"Off to the East Blue!"


	3. Tides

_****_**Okay!**

**For those of you who have followed this story from _Deepest of Ties_, then here is your update! All brand new and sparkly. It's a little short compared to the others (a lot short compared to the last chapter, but cut me some slack, that one was over 15,000 words!), but this chapter is mostly build up for the main conflict and what not (Yes, I have this story planned out, I even outlined it!).  
**

**In this chapter, we get all little of Luffy and a little of Ace. We also have a surprise guest! So please enjoy! ^^  
**

**Warnings: fluff, angst, subtle foreshadowing (At least I'm assuming it's subtle, because no one's said anything about it yet. Hint: It involves Luffy and Ace's roles as the Angel and Demon.)  
**

**Disclaimer: I still want a smoothie.  
**

**ONWARD!**

* * *

_**~Tides~**_

_It's quiet and the world listens for the changing tide._

* * *

Ace grins at the paper in his hands, showing all his teeth and practically vibrating in excitement. He throws his head back and laughs, long and hard, earning himself a few looks, but at this point everyone is used to his strange outbursts and they just fondly shake their heads and chuckle, going about their buisness. The Demon bolts to the other side of the deck, shouting the entire way, grin never once leaving his face.

"Oyaji! Makino!"

He reaches the other side of the deck, finding his chosen captain sitting in his chair, Makino sitting in a lawn chair at his feet, a book in her lap. Both of them look up as he gets closer. Before either of them can say anything, Ace shoves the poster in his hand up to Whitebeard.

"Oyaji! Oyaji, look!" he exclaims, bouncing in place.

Makino muffles a giggle behind her hand and Whitebeard chuckles as he reaches down to take the paper offered to him.

"What's so exciting, brat?" He asks, before his eyes land on the poster in his hand. He stares for a moment before laughing loudly. "That damn cheeky brat! Didn't take him long at all, did it?"

Makino looks up at him, a spark of excitement dancing in her eyes. "You mean…?"

Whitebeard hands her the poster. Sure enough, there's that famous grin stretched wide across his face, the name 'Monkey D. Luffy' printed clearly across the page. Makino beams at the poster before looking up to see Ace still vibrating with excitement.

"He certainly works fast," she says with a chuckle, "He'll be disappointed though."

That makes Ace stop and look at her. "What do you mean?" he asks.

Makino just smiles and points to the amount offered on the poster. "His bounty is less than yours," she says, "Knowing him, he'll want to outdo you."

Ace smiles smugly and crosses his arms over his chest. "Never gonna happen."

Whitebeard laughs.

* * *

Luffy is thrilled to be back in the Grand Line.

He's almost tempted to warn Nami about navigating the dangerous ocean, but decides it will be much more fun to watch her figure it out on her own. She's a first class navigator after all, and he expects nothing less from his crew.

So he just sits back and laughs when she starts freaking out over the compass not working and when it randomly starts snowing. He wants to laugh at the warnings the strange man and lady give them about the Grand Line like they're trying to scare them away. As if he can't handle it, he's lived on this ocean for five years. Nobody could keep him away, this place is home. It's also the best place for adventure! So why the heck would they leave?

When Vivi tells them about her home country, the Angel can honestly say he doesn't know much about Alabasta. He spent most of his time in New World, so Paradise's islands are a bit of a mystery to him. Not that he would know much about the country if it was in New World anyway. Haruta, even if she is the commander of the division in charge of intelligence, was never able to make much stick. Neither could anyone else for that matter. Not for lack of trying though. Luffy just feels he doesn't need to know such things.

But this adventure sounds fun, so off to Alabasta they go.

Nami gets sick on the way and they have to stop to find a doctor. But the island they stop at only has one.

"She lives on top of that mountain," Dalton explains, pointing out the window, in that castle. She comes and goes as she pleases. We can only wait for her to arrive."

"But we don't have the time," Sanji grounds out, glaring at the mountain, "What shitty luck."

Luffy just sits back and watches the whole exchange, calmly sipping the tea that Dalton had prepared for them.

"But what happened to all the other doctors?" Vivi asks.

Dalton gives a tired sigh then and explains the history the country. How the king was selfish and abused his privileges. How he abandoned his people in their time of need.

"Pirates raided our island recently," Dalton says, "That's why the people were so wry of you. Please excuse them."

Sanji waves his hand in dismissal. "Don't worry about it. We get used to it."

Dalton gives a half smile and sighs. "They destroyed everything. Just a handful of people. They called their Captain 'Blackbeard'; his power vastly out matched our own. We never stood a chance."

While the crew throws out protests at such a violent act, Luffy goes completely still. He's gripping his tea cup so tightly that his knuckles are white.

Blackbread.

_Teach._

_Traitor._

Usopp, being the person sitting next to him, is the first to notice his tension. "Oi, Luffy, you okay?"

Then everyone's attention is on him and he ducks his head so that his hat is shading his eyes, hiding the fury in them.

Sanji sighs. "I know you don't like people like him, Luffy, but we really don't have time to waste looking for him. If we don't do something soon, Nami-san will…"

"No," Luffy says, and the firmness in his voice catches everyone off guard as he stands and pins his cook down with a hard, cold stare, "Blackbeard will pay for his crimes."

And before anyone can say anything, he's next to Nami, patting her cheek and calling her name. He gets yelled at of course, but Nami wakes up and when she puts her absolute faith in him, Luffy smiles.

* * *

The Angel grins at Vivi when he first sees her after kicking he crap out of Crocodlie.

"Don't worry, Vivi!" he says, beaming and rocking back and forth on the bed like a child, "Your home is safe now."

And Vivi smiles at him and gives him his hat back while his crew rolls their eyes in the background in good humor. Luffy knows they don't understand the importance of what he's said and done, knows that they can't possibly know because he's never told them. But that's fine. Because they don't need to know. Luffy's saved Alabasta. Where he failed his own home, he's protected Vivi's. He didn't let another island fall under the weight of corruption and greed. Because now he's strong enough. Strong enough to protect anything he wants. And he's going to make sure it stays that way.

The Angel wonders what Ace will say when he finds out about this. Luffy thinks he will understand, probably yell at him some for being so reckless, but he will understand better than anyone, even Makino. It doesn't make up for all of the deaths that day, but Luffy has kept his promise of protection and that's good enough for him.

No one notices his behavior, he knows he's being a bit more quiet than usual, but no one seems concerned by it. At least until Luffy notices his first mate's look. Zoro is staring him down, pinning him with his eyes, and Luffy can see the spark of concern.

So he brushes the dark memories aside with a determined vow to never fail again and beams at his crew and demands food because he's been out for three days and that's fifteen meals he's missed. And the simple meal quickly develops into a party to celebrate their victory.

That night, when Vivi tells them she doesn't know what to do, Luffy knows that she has already decided in her heart. Part of him still holds onto that childish hope though. Vivi is nakama after all, and nakama are forever. And no matter what Vivi's decision, he needs to make a point.

So, much to the shock of everyone in the room, the Angel pulls Vivi into a tight hug.

"Alabasta is my first island, Vivi, my first territory," he says clearly, making sure that both she and his crew understand what he means, "Whatever your decision is, it will always be under my protection. 'kay?" He pulls back slightly to look at his friend only to see her lips trembling and unshed tears in her eyes. He chuckles and presses his forehead to hers. "Your home is your treasure, Vivi. And I promise I will always protect it."

And Vivi smiles then and chokes out a watery laugh and throws her arms around him in return, squeezing him as tight as she can. Zoro is holding Sanji back as he shouts protests, while Usopp and Chopper cry at the touching scene. Nami just rolls her eyes at the lot of them, though the action does nothing to hide the fond gleam in her brown eyes or the grin on her lips.

The next morning, Vivi comes to say goodbye.

"_Will you still call me nakama?"_

Luffy almost laughs at the question. Nakama are forever. So, with a smile, Luffy and his crew make sure the Princess knows it, raising their arms to the sky.

"_From now on, whatever happens, this mark is proof that we're nakama!"_

* * *

When Ace and Makino walk up on deck, they see the crew all gathered and tense. The pair trade looks before heading over to Marco.

"Marco?" Makino asks, "What's going on?"

The Phoenix sighs and crosses his arms over his chest. "Shanks is meeting with Oyaji."

Makino's eyes widen in surprise and Ace hits his fist on his open palm. "Oh yeah," he says, "I forgot that was happening."

Marco rolls his eyes and opens his mouth to say something, but before the words can leave his lips, the very air cracks and the sea shakes. The crew, already tense, becomes uneasy, but no one makes a move to see what all the commotion is about.

"What's going on?" Makino asks, grabbing hold of Ace's arm to steady herself.

"Yonko's have…short tempers," Marco says reluctantly.

Ace raises an eyebrow. "You mean they're arguing?"

"Pretty much."

Makino's eyes harden, a look that every crew member has become familiar with, and she straightens before turning on her heels and marching off.

Ace whistles. "Uh-oh," he mutters.

Marco reaches out and catches her arm. "Makino, let Oyaji handle it. He ordered everyone off deck and I don't want you getting caught between them."

Makino turns her eyes to him. "Marco," she says firmly, and the Phoenix shoves away the small part of him that wants to cringe at her tone, "I am going. Now let go."

They stare at each other for a moment before Marco finally sighs and lets her go. He watches her walk off, knowing that this is not going to end well. A hand lands on his shoulder and he turns to see Ace looking at him solemnly.

"You tried," he says.

Marco crosses his arms. "Shut up, Ace."

The younger man just laughs.

Makino arrives on the main deck just as both Yonko are getting ready to strike again.

As they both bring down their weapons, instead of meeting steel on steel, the weapons seem to collide with the air, preventing their attacks from being completed. Shock crosses both of their faces, though Whitebeard recovers quicker than his red-haired counterpart. He draws away from the barrier that now separates him and Shanks, turning ever so slightly so he can see Makino standing by the rail, arms crossed over her chest, a displeased frown on her scarred face.

"What is the matter with you two?" she demands, and Shanks whirls around wide-eyed at the sound of her voice, surprise coloring his features. "You are grown men! And yet here you are fighting like children! You are two of the most powerful men on the sea and you can't even hold a ten minute conversation without resorting to violence! Act your age!"

Whitebeard just sighs and sits back down in his chair.

Childish laugher cuts through the tense moment before anyone can say anything and the three turn to see Ace perched on the rail, Marco leaning on it next to him.

The blond sighs apologetically. "Sorry, Oyaji, I tried to stop her."

Ace chuckles gleefully. "Yeah! And then Makino used the Voice on him and he totally –"

"Portgas D. Ace," Makino says sternly, turning her eyes to the Demon.

Ace's mouth closes with an audible click and Marco smirks down at him. Ace elbows him in the side which does nothing but make the blond's smirk grow.

"…Makino?"

The sound of Shanks's surprised voice has them turning towards the visiting Yonko. His eyes are wide and he is so shocked, that he can't do anything but stare, sword hanging limply in his grip.

Makino gives him a small smile. "Hello, Captain."

That snaps Shanks from his daze and he quickly sheathes his sword, walking across the deck towards her. Whitebeard has to resist the urge to chuckle at the childish anger that radiates briefly off of his first and second division commanders at Makino's address of the red-haired man.

"Makino, what happened to you? Why are you here? And on a pirate ship!"

Makino reaches out and puts a hand on Shanks's arm. "I'm fine," she says calmly, "Everything's fine."

Shanks frowns and traces a finger along the scar marring her face. "Fine?" he grits out, clearly not bothering to hide the anger in his tone.

Makino sighs. "Things…happened after you left," she says softly, looking down.

Ace frowns briefly, seeing the darkness in his adopted mother's eyes, before breaking into a wide grin. "Yeah!" he chirps, hopping off the rail, "But then Oyaji took care of us, so no worries! You're Shanks, right?" The Demon stops in front of the rival Yonko, who is too shocked to anything but nod, making Ace's grin grow that much wider. Then, to the surprise and slight confusion of all the men present and the fond, nostalgic amusement of Makino, the fire user bows at the waist. "Thank you for saving my little brother!"

Shanks blinks. "Uhhh…you're welcome?"

Ace straightens, grin still firmly in place. "Sorry for just springing that on you, but I've wanting to do it for a while. Luffy never shuts up about you, ya know. Wears that hat everywhere."

The red-haired man instantly brightens. "Luffy? You're his brother? I didn't know he had any siblings. How's he doing?"

Ace shrugs. "Fine so far as we know," he replies easily.

"Depends on your definition of fine," Marco mumbles.

Makino chuckles and Ace grins slyly at the older man. Whitebeard interrupts them by clearing his throat.

"I believe we had something to discuss?" he says pointedly to the red-haired man.

Makino crosses her arms. "Are you two going to behave and act like adults?" she asks.

Whitebeard sighs. "Yes, Makino, we will behave," he says indulgently.

Marco and Ace smother snickers.

Makino just shakes her head. "What on earth could you possibly be talking about that got you so worked up?"

"Teach," Whitebeard answers stiffly.

The mood changes then and eyes cloud over.

"Something needs to be done about him, Whitebeard" Shanks says firmly.

Whitebeard snorts. "You're a hundred years too early to be telling me what to do, brat."

"I…agree with Shanks."

Ace's soft statement cuts through the tension and everyone is looking at him. He shuffles nervously and there's suddenly an uneasy energy surrounding him. "There's something…off about him, Oyaji."

"And what would that be?" Whitebeard asks almost absently, but there's an underlying current of seriousness in his tone.

Shanks is a little surprised by this. How easily this kid's simple statement is enough to make the stubborn, old Yonko pause when all he could do was ignite an argument.

Ace's brow furrows and his lips curl into a frown. "That day, that Thatch brought back the Devil Fruit," he says slowly, carefully, like he's working out what to say as he says it, "When he showed it to us, something in the air…changed. There was so much…greed. Lust." Ace shivers and his eyes glaze over. "It was…exhilarating to say the least; I couldn't figure out where it was coming from though, I just knew those emotions weren't mine." He pauses, pressing his lips into a thin line. "Luffy felt it too. But where it was an emotional high for me, it terrified him. He didn't know where it came from either. The only thing either of us could figure out was that it was directed at Thatch. You remember, right? Luffy stuck to Thatch like glue; didn't let him out his sight for even a second."

"You both acted odd that day," Marco muses, "Neither of you spoke much and you hardly ate anything, which was alarming in and of itself. I've never seen Luffy so twitchy or paranoid."

Ace rolls his eyes. "It's not our fault we react that way; it just happens." He turns his eyes back to Whitebeard. "And if it wasn't for that, Thatch would be dead right now."

Whitebeard's eyes are grim. "But he is not, Ace. And this not just a simple matter of a man jumping ship."

"But he betrayed you," Shanks cuts in, "And he's causing trouble in Paradise. He's already destroyed several islands. He's not even raiding them. Just…complete destruction."

"I am aware," Whitebeard says sharply, "But something about this doesn't sit well with me."

Ace blinks. "You can feel it, Oyaji? I didn't know humans could."

That comment has Shanks raising an eyebrow. The kid is talking like he isn't one, but Makino and the others make no comment, just look at the boy curiously.

"What do you feel, Ace?" Whitebeard asks firmly, almost grimly.

"It's…I don't know," Ace says tilting his head up slightly, eyes staring unseeing at the sky, "Something's changing. Shifting." His eyes have clouded over and he's talking like he's in some kind of trance. "The world has gone quiet. It's waiting. Something is about to happen. Something big. Something is going to change. The tides are shifting."

Makino places a gentle hand on Ace's shoulder and give him a light shake. "Ace? Ace, come back."

Ace blinks and turns his eyes to Makino, a confused expression on his face. "Makino? What happened? What'd I do?"

The woman shakes her head and puts her hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Something seems to click in Ace's brain because he gives Makino a small smile before turning back to his father figure. "I'm uneasy, Oyaji."

The older Yonko just hums slightly in response, eyes lost in thought.

"I'm not suggesting an all-out war, Whitebeard," Shanks says, "But we can't just let him do as he pleases. He's too dangerous."

"He will be confronted eventually," Whitebeard says with a tone of finality in his voice, "He must pay for his crimes."

"He's gathering a crew," Marco pipes up, "Reports from Drum say the island was sacked by a group of five people. The captain going by Blackbeard."

Ace snorts and rolls his eyes. "How original."

"He's fallen off the map, though," Shanks adds, "He's trying to lay low. But…"

Marco raises an eyebrow. "But?"

Shanks frowns, eyes serious and uneasy. "You've heard the news on Crocodile, right?" They nod. "There was a meeting, to pick a replacement. Mihawk told me that it was interrupted by a character that nominated Teach for the position. Called himself Laffitte."

"Blackbeard as a Shichibukai?" Marco says in disbelief, "He doesn't seem the type."

"He didn't seem the type to have any sort of ambition either," Ace reminds, arms crossed over his chest.

"He wants something else," Whitebeard says, "He doesn't want the Shichibukai title. Probably after something the privileges of the position can easily get him."

Shanks nods. "I agree."

Ace lets out a frustrated groan. "He's so damn good at hiding! We know next to nothing about him. Even when he was here." Ace pauses, a frown making its way to his lips. "Looking back though, he always felt…off. Different. Should've made Luffy read him while we had the chance," he says with a grimace.

"It's a little too late for should have's and what if's, Ace," Makino says gently, placing a hand on the fire user's shoulder.

"I know," Ace sighs.

"Ace is right though, we need more information," Marco cuts in.

Shanks shrugs. "I've given you everything I have that could be of real use."

"Ace," Whitebeard calls, "Teach was your subordinate, so you will handle this." The Demon nods. "I want you on a recon mission to collect information only. No confrontation. You have a month."

Ace nods. "When do I leave?"

"Tomorrow morning."

Ace nods again and walks off, brow furrowed, eyes lost in thought. Marco sighs before trailing after him. "Best make sure he doesn't hurt himself," he calls with a casual wave.

"You may stay, Red-Hair," Whitebeard says after a moment of silence, "Or take Makino to your ship temporarily. I know you two have a history. She has much to discuss with you."

There is a gleam of pity and a spark of anger in the old Yonko's eyes that Shanks isn't sure how to interpret. But Makino steps forward and places a hand on the giant man's leg and Shanks notices the tattoo on her wrist for the first time.

"Thank you, Oyaji," she says.

Whitebeard snorts. "Just keep him out of trouble."

Makino just laughs and grins up at him. "I will."

* * *

"How'd it go Captain?"

"Yeah, sounded like you guys were goin' at it for a while there."

Shanks waves away his crew's questions with a grin. "Nah, everything's fine. Things just got a little lively is all."

Yasopp snorts. "A little?"

"Who's that with you?" Ben cuts in before the mock argument can escalate.

The question draws the crew's attention to the figure standing just behind Shanks, almost completely hidden from view.

"Oh," Shanks says, unconcerned, "I found someone interesting on the old man's ship."

And with that he steps aside, revealing a smiling Makino to the crew. There is a beat of silence before they are all yelling.

"Makino?!"

"The hell are you doing here?"

"What happened to your face?"

"You weren't kidnaped, were you?"

"Whitebeard doesn't seem the type."

"What happened, Makino?"

"Whoa, whoa," Shanks calls, wrapping his arm around the woman's shoulders, "Cool it guys, let her breathe!"

Several minutes later, Shanks as moved them all to the galley and Lucky has made some fresh coffee, which Makino accepts gratefully. She smiles at them and starts answering their questions before the crew can work themselves up too much.

"I was not kidnapped," she says, and gives a little laugh when they all simultaneously exhale in relief, "Whitebeard took Ace, Luffy, and I in. He made an offer and we accepted; that's all. There was no underhanded tricks, no kidnapping."

A couple of the guys roll their eyes and Shanks chuckles. "But why did he make the offer in the first place, Makino?" he asks, "And why did you accept it?"

Makino sighs and traces a finger around the rim of her mug. "Things…changed after you left, Shanks," she says softly, sadly. Mentally bracing herself, she recounts the destruction of her home, Ace and Luffy saving her, losing Sabo, being left alone on the island for years, and, finally, Whitebeard's arrival. At the end of it, the air in the room is grim, and every face is lined with guilt and sadness. Makino is staring blankly into her cup as she has been the whole time. Unlike Marco and Thatch, Shanks and his crew had known the townspeople. Befriended them. And she has just told them they are all dead. She can't look them in the eyes.

Shanks wraps his arm around her shoulders and pulls her to his chest. "I'm sorry, Makino. If we had stayed a few more months or come back to visit – "

Makino pulls back and wipes her eyes, shaking her head. "No, no, no! It wasn't your fault! You have nothing to apologize for! Nothing at all!" she declares fiercely, and it's then that Shanks can see how she's changed. Grown. She stands firm now and has lost her shy timidness, though she is still just as kind as before. "Besides," she continues, "All things considered, I'm happy where I've ended up."

And then she smiles at him and he can't help but smile back. "You look it," he says.

"Hey, hey, enough of this moping!" Yasopp calls, "Makino, tell us about Luffy! Is he still the same crazy little devil?"

Makino laughs. "Of course! He's going to be Pirate King after all!"

The crew cheers and laughs at that and demand stories of all the crazy stunts they know Luffy has without a doubt pulled over the years and Makino is more than happy to comply as long as they tell her stories of their adventures in return. After a while, a few of the Whitebeard pirates come wondering over, to make sure their 'Mother' is safe and sound and they get sucked into the storytelling party too, adding their own tales of the D Brother's reckless and insane adventures.

And through it all, Makino smiles, Shanks sitting on her left while Ace somehow finds his way to her right, and sighs contently. Ace is leaning his head on her shoulder and holding her hand the same way he used to when he was little and she has her arm linked through Shanks's keeping them close.

Ace peers up at her, a small grin on his face. "You're happy," he says.

Shanks hears him and grins. "Hard not to be in a place like this, kid!"

And they laugh, looking out at their nakama trading stories and sharing booze.

Makino smiles and pulls them both closer. "I am happy, Ace," she says, "I have both my families together in one place. And as crazy as you all are, I wouldn't trade any of it for the world."

Both men grin widely at her before the three of them are again lost in the moment.

* * *

**So here we are. Once again, sorry that it's so short. The next chapter will probably be longer. It will also have Ace and Luffy together. As in, they will be in the same place. This is also were we start experiencing some major canon divergence. Luffy will obtain all of his crew and go on all of the same adventures as he did in canon. But Alabasta is where things start to change.**

**One: Ace did not leave to hunt and punish/execute Teach  
**

**Two: Ace and Luffy did not meet up in Alabasta  
**

**Obviously.  
**

**Canon will continue for Luffy's crew in terms of the main Water 7 arc (I'll be tweeking the end a bit) and Thriller Bark. From then on it's up in the air. Though events will be _based_ on canon, they will not be the same. Just warning you guys now. Please don't give me grief over it. This fic is labeled as an AU for a reason.  
**

**Yep. That's pretty much it. Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? Reasons the you want to cause me bodily harm for a short chapter (The next one will be longer, I swear!)? Leave a review!  
**

**Until next time,  
**

**~Elri  
**


	4. Reunion

**Happy Holidays, everyone!  
**

**I hope everyone's been having a good break/holiday/winter/insert-word-of-choice-here! Here is the next chapter of Wild! It is a bit longer than last chapter, but - and I'm telling you now - chapter 2 was a special case. DO NOT expect chapter that long on a regular basis. It's just not happening. I would do it if I could, but, like I said, chapter 2 was a special case.  
**

**As promised, both Ace and Luffy are in this chapter together. It takes place at the end of the Water 7 arc after the whole Enies Lobby part, so obviously not following canon in this moment. Nothing super different happens, (it's pretty much Ace meeting Luffy's crew at a different time) but it's not canon, so I thought I'd warn you.  
**

**Anyways, this chapter has AceLu in it, so hopefully it will satisfy you.  
**

**Warnings: fluff, lots of fluff, angst, implied sex, implied violence, fluff, talk of death on a large scale, have I mentioned the fluff yet?  
**

**Disclaimer: I really want Christmas dinner like right now...but it's not even noon yet...le sigh...  
**

**ONWARD!**

* * *

_**~Reunion~**_

_Light and Dark meet and the world waits._

* * *

Ace watches from a distance as his Angel sets the ship a flame.

The Demon has been tracking Teach for several weeks now, trying to find any sort of reliable information he can get his hands on. He's in the process of following up on several leads when it happens. Something in the air shifts, changes. And Ace is suddenly gripped with a burning, righteous fury and pure determination.

Luffy is angry.

And when the Angel is angry, all hell breaks loose.

Something their family aboard the Moby Dick learned the hard way when someone had tried – and almost succeeded – in taking Marco out. Luffy had only been fifteen at the time, but the resulting explosion had almost destroyed the ship. That day they learned that, while Ace's temper was quicker to flare to life and extremely destructive, Luffy's was deadly. Marco had quietly admitted to Ace sometime after that he had never felt safer in his entire life. And he had looked so baffled when he'd said it that Ace had laughed at him. Because, really, they should have expected something like this. They were nakama – more importantly, they were _Luffy's _nakama even though he wasn't technically part of the crew – and that meant forever in Luffy's mind.

So when Ace feels Luffy's anger, he immediately changes course.

He sees the fires that are consuming Enies Lobby and knows that something big has happened. But the anger is gone now. Replaced with a happy contentedness that makes Ace smile softly. Until the air changes again and this time it is filled with sorrow. Ace speeds up his Striker, following the heavy sadness in the air until he sees two ships. One is much smaller than the other. But it's alive; just like the Moby Dick. And Ace knows then that this is Luffy's ship.

And she's dying.

Ace keeps his distance, but watches in solemn silence as flames consume the small ship's hull. He removes his hat and bows his head, paying his respects to the ship that has carried his little brother over the course of his journey.

"_I was happy."_

The high-pitched, child-like voice echoes over the sea. Ace knows right away whose it is. And as the flames finally consume the ship, he hears Luffy's heart-wrenching wail.

"_MERRY!"_

Ace trails them for a bit, waiting for the right moment, before sneaking aboard. It's disappointingly easy, but Ace doesn't care much about that at the moment, especially since it works in his favor. Finding Luffy is easy enough. The Angel is standing on the rear deck, just staring blankly out at the water. Ace says nothing as he comes to a stop right behind the younger teen.

His shoulders are slightly slumped, his hat resting on his back, and he's covered in wounds that make Ace's fire rise in protective anger. But he says nothing, waiting for Luffy to speak first.

"We saved Robin," he says eventually, voice soft, "But we couldn't save Merry."

"She was happy," Ace repeats, voice just as soft.

"I know. She was a good ship."

"You loved her." It isn't a question; Ace can feel it, _see it_, in the smaller male.

Luffy nods once before finally turning, looking up at his brother. "Ace."

And that's all it takes. The Demon has his arms wrapped around his Angel, holding him tightly as he slumps forward, Luffy's head resting on his shoulder.

"I didn't want her to leave, Ace," Luffy murmurs into his neck.

"I know," Ace says softly, leaning his head against Luffy's.

"She helped us have Robin," Luffy says, "She saved all of us."

Ace has no idea who Robin is. But Ace knows that if Luffy did all of this for her, he considers her nakama. "And that's the important thing, right?"

Luffy hums. "I'm tired."

He looks it. He's bruised and bloody, so out of it that he can't even stand on his own, Ace supporting all of his weight.

"Then sleep," Ace says. When Luffy remains stubbornly tense in his arms, he adds, "I'll be here when you wake."

"M'kay," Luffy whispers, before going completely limp in Ace's arms.

The Demon sighs, a soft smile gracing his lips as he slips his arms under Luffy's bottom and hefts him up, balancing the Angel on his hip as if he were a small child. Luffy's head simply rolls limply into the curve of his throat, his arms loosely wrapped around Ace's shoulders. "You're so much trouble," he whispers fondly, pressing a light kiss into the younger's dark hair.

* * *

"There," Chopper says as he ties of the last of Nami's bandages, "That should do it."

The Straw Hats and Franky are gathered in the infirmary, Chopper recovered enough to treat their wounds, with some help from the doctors on board. Zoro and Sanji are, naturally, the worst off in terms of injuries. Robin a close second from her rough treatment at the hands of Rob Lucci and Spandam.

Nami sighs gratefully. "Thanks, Chopper," she says.

Chopper just grins up at her tiredly before a look of realization crosses his face. "Wait, where's Luffy? I haven't treated him yet."

They look around and notice for the first time that their captain is, in fact, absent.

"Maybe he's still on the deck?" Usopp asks, still dressed as Sogeking.

"Shitty bastard," Sanji mutters, "He's the worse off of all of us. What is he thinking?"

"He's not," Zoro grunts. "Robin?"

Robin nods and crosses her arms over her chest, closing her eyes. Her brow furrows suddenly and something akin to worry appears on her face. "That mark…" she murmurs under her breath before her eyes suddenly fly open, filled with slight panic. "There's a Whitebeard pirate on board and he has Luffy," she says calmly, thought her words come out in a rush.

Zoro and Sanji still, eyes going wide.

Franky whistles. "Whitebeard? He's pretty big," the cyborg says, "Did Strawhat-bro do something to piss him off?"

"Not that we know of," Nami says slowly, not really sure who this Whitebeard is, but vaguely remembering hearing the name before.

Zoro and Sanji curse a blue streak before rushing out of the room. Robin and Frank exchange looks, taking off after them, the others hot on their tail.

* * *

Ace is contemplating what to do. He can go to the infirmary, but he would have to explain his presence on the ship which could lead to some problems. But Luffy needs to be treated. The Demon sighs and starts making his way towards where he assumes the infirmary to be. Might as well get everything over with.

He doesn't get very far when two men appear behind him; one with green hair and three swords, the other with blond hair and dressed in a suit. Both are bandaged, but Ace isn't entirely sure that will hinder them should he make the wrong move. He glances at them over his shoulder curiously. The green haired man slowly draws one of his swords, glaring darkly at him.

"Let him go," he says.

Ace turns to face them as several others run up behind the pair: a dark-haired woman, a large, blue-haired male, a small raccoon (wait it has antlers, a reindeer?) creature, someone in a mask, and another woman, this one with orange hair.

"Luffy!" Nami cries out in worry.

Ace feels a smirk creep across his face. So this is Luffy's crew. An interesting bunch. But are they worthy of the Angel? "I don't really want to," Ace drawls.

"You might want to reconsider," Sanji says.

Ace raises an eyebrow and tilts his head to the side, grinning mischievously. "Mmm, what if I say no?"

The blond goes to answer, but Robin steps forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. "What is it exactly that you want with our captain?" she asks.

"Well, I suppose I'll be taking him with me," Ace replies slyly, "He's got a decent bounty, after all."

The crew shifts uneasily. Zoro draws a second sword. "You want him, you're gonna have to go through us," he growls.

Ace grins. "Are you sure you want to risk it?" he asks, shifting his hold on Luffy so that one of his hands is free. He holds it up and lets his fire ignite on his skin, the flames creeping close to Luffy's slumbering face.

Zoro tenses and the crew unconsciously backs off some. Ace grins inwardly, it seems Luffy as picked a crew that is incredibly loyal to him. Zoro lowers his swords, but doesn't put them away. The rest of the crew follows his lead, giving off the pretense of relaxing and giving in.

Ace puts his fire out, his dark smirk changing into a happy grin as he lets out a carefree laugh. "You guys are good nakama," he says after he's calmed down, much to the confusion of the crew, "You know where the infirmary is? Luffy needs to be treated."

"Wait. So you're not here to kidnap Strawhat-bro?" Franky asks.

Ace raises an eyebrow. "Well if you really wanted me to, I could," he teases, "But Lu would be mad at me when he woke up. Especially after all of the trouble he just went through to rescue Robin."

Robin raises an eyebrow. "You talk as if you know him," she says.

Ace turns his eyes to her. She looks familiar. "You could say that," he says slowly, racking his brain, trying to put the pieces together. And, suddenly, it all falls into place. "You're Nico Robin."

The woman's eyes become guarded and the crew immediately surrounds her.

"You leave Robin-chan out of this," Sanji growls.

Ace ignores him, staring at Robin instead. She can't look away from him, his eyes pinning her down in a way that only Luffy has ever managed before. The Demon remembers the stories he's heard about her, courtesy of Haruta. Her situation has startling parallels to their own.

"The Demon of Ohara," he murmurs to himself. Robin tenses, but, to everyone's surprise, he turns an exasperated look to the sleeping form in his arms. "Oh, Lu, you didn't! Wait, who am I kidding, this is you we're talking about, of course you did," Ace says, making a sound that's somewhere between a groan and a sigh, "Anyways, can we skip this? Luffy still needs medical attention."

Ace didn't wait for a reply and walked through them. "So are you gonna show me where to go? Or am I going to have to figure it out myself?" he calls over his shoulder.

The Straw Hats snap to attention and Chopper takes charge, leading them back to the infirmary. Ace gently lays Luffy down on one of the beds, tenderly brushing his hand down the Angel's cheek. He backs off then, watching as Chopper treats Luffy's wounds.

"So are you going to explain yourself or what?" Nami finally asks, crossing her arms over her chest.

Ace shoots her a coy smile. "I suppose," he drawls before sighing disappointedly, "And it was so fun watching you squirm too." The man pushes off the wall he's leaning against and takes off his hat, giving the crew a slight bow. "Portgas D. Ace," he introduces, "Thanks for taking care of my little brother; I know he's a handful."

There is absolute silence for a long moment.

"BROTHER?!"

Ace grins at them. He's not at all surprised that Luffy's crew knows nothing about him. Neither of them talk about their past much. And he has to admit, it's always amusing to see people's reactions.

* * *

Ace returns to Water 7 with the Straw Hat crew. Luffy remains asleep, though none of them are particularly worried. They know he's fine. The crew is still a little wary of Ace – Luffy is not awake to confirm anything he says – and have him under constant watch. Ace does nothing to make them suspicious, but he does nothing to reassure them either. By making himself the bad guy, he can see how far these people are willing to go to protect his brother.

Over the course of a few days, the Demon learns the events that transpired at Enies Lobby. Pairing that with the knowledge he has of Robin's situation, it's easy for him to fill in the gaps he isn't being told. He isn't sure if he wants to laugh or cry. Laugh because Robin thought Luffy would let her sacrifice herself, because she thought her captain didn't understand. Cry because Robin is just like him, hated for existing, but somehow, someway, Luffy manages to bring them light.

Ace finds himself warming up to the crew and is amused to no end when Sanji explains to him that Luffy learned to eat in his sleep so he wouldn't miss any meals. He also finds it endearing how they cling to Robin, making sure she doesn't run off again, making sure she understands that she's _stuck with them_ and she's just going to have to deal with it. Because they aren't letting her go. He can see the absolute joy and love that shines in the dark haired woman's eyes and knows that she does understand. She understands perfectly.

Everything is fine in that moment. Not perfect because the crew has no ship anymore. And no means to replace it. And though they are good at hiding it, it's obvious the loss has hit them hard. Until Franky reappears and makes them an offer. Ace just grins from the corner he's watching in, nothing but a casual observer in a moment shared between the crew and their soon-to-be newest member. Ace can see it, the way Luffy has influenced the cyborg and he knows it's only a matter of time.

And just as the deal between them closes, the walls come crashing down around them. Literally.

A person Ace has not seen in _years_ is suddenly in the room, whacking Luffy across the head, effectively waking him up. Ace is too shocked to jump to his brother's defense.

Garp.

_Gramps._

Ace doesn't know how to react. He honestly – naïvely – thought that there was no way he'd ever see this man again. Not after everything that's happened. He doesn't know what he's supposed to feel, can't wrap his head around what he's seeing long enough to focus in the emotions fighting for control in his chest.

Luffy has no such problem. He reacts to Garp's presence the way he always has, as if nothing has changed. The crew is given its second surprise when they learn that Garp, the Marine's War Hero, is their captain's grandfather. And then the two argue, yelling at each other about marines and pirates just like they always have.

But then Garp says it.

And it sets Ace off. Big time.

"I raised you to be a marine, you damn brat!" Garp yells.

Something in Ace snaps and the internal war in his chest finally ends. And the victor is rage.

"_You raised him?"_ he hisses.

And the room is suddenly silent, everything freezing at the darkness and restrained fury in his tone. Garp's eyes widen slightly when they land on him while Luffy just looks at him blankly. The Straw Hats stare at him as he stalks forward slowly, fists clenched tightly at his sides.

"You raised him? Bullshit!" Ace says lowly, dangerously, "If you raised him, then what's his favorite color? His favorite food? His favorite bedtime story? How does he like to be tucked in at night? What's his biggest fear? What's his favorite game to play on a ship? How 'bout on land?" Ace's voice is growing steadily louder with every word and he's close to yelling, but he can't stop. All the anger and frustration and pain that he finally managed to bury years ago has suddenly risen to the surface.

Garp is silent, a grim expression on his face.

Luffy's eyes are sad, his expression resigned. Much to his crew's surprise. They have never seen such an expression on his face, so much hurt and pain and sadness at one time.

"You don't know do you?" Ace yells furiously, "Because you _weren't there_! You don't know anything! You didn't raise him! I did! Because I had to! Because everyone else was fucking _dead_! Do you even know what the hell happened that day?" Ace asks, eyes flashing red.

The Straw Hats are staring now, completely shocked. They have not known Ace very long, and while they don't necessarily trust him, he's a likable guy. He's even-tempered and playful and light hearted. But this. This is different. He's a whole other person now. And they can see the effect his words are having on their captain. Luffy seems to have curled into himself from his place on the floor. His shoulders are slumped and his head is bowed, hair hiding his eyes from view. His hands are fisted tightly in his shorts and he's shaking. And the crew has absolutely no idea what to do.

Ace plows on, not even giving Garp a chance to answer. "I can tell you if you don't," he says, "Because Luffy and I were right in the middle of it! We _saw_ what happened that day! Do you know what it feels like? To have everything you've ever known ripped out from under you? Have you ever had to watch the only home you've ever known be burned to the ground? Have you ever watched every person you've ever known slaughtered right in front of you? Have you ever seen all of that and _known it was your fault_?"

Ace is screaming at Garp now, red eyes alight with pain and rage and _agony _that make the old man want to cringe in guilt. But he does not because he knows that will only make Ace angrier. Instead he forces himself to listen and watch indifferently as his grandson shouts at him.

The Straw Hats are absolutely horrified, staring with wide eyes. Robin is the most shocked of them all. She never, _ever_, expected that Luffy, _her captain_, had been forced to experience something like this. But as she watches the young pirate wrap his arms around himself in a useless attempt to stop his body from trembling, she knows that she can't deny that it has.

"Everyone died that day," Ace continues, "_Sabo_ died that day." That gets a flinch from Garp and Luffy whimpers pitifully and the crew wonders who Sabo is. "We would have lost Makino that day too. We almost did. The only reason we didn't was because I was lucky enough to have eaten my Devil Fruit three months before and I had enough control to _cauterize_ her wounds shut without incinerating her! And she's still fucked up from that! She was messed up for so long! Luffy and I had no fucking clue what the hell we were doing! And there was no one we could ask! Because they were all _dead_!"

Ace laughs bitterly. "And you know what the best part was?" he asks, a twisted smile on his face, eyes glowing grimly, "We waited for you to show up. We knew it might take a while, but we waited for you. We thought, 'Well Gramps is a marine. He must have heard what happened. He'll come and get us.'" Ace laughs again. "How stupid we were! Waiting for help that wasn't going to come! There were no ships that passed after that day not a single one! Marine, civilian, pirate. There was _nothing_. So we gave up. But someone still had to do something, if we didn't we would have died. But Luffy was just a seven year old kid and Makino couldn't even move her fingers without screaming in _agony_. So it had to be my job. I had to take care of them. I had to protect them. _I_ did that. So don't you _dare_ say you raised him."

Ace's yelling has quieted to a deadly whisper by the time he is finished. The Demon is breathing heavily and for a long while, it is the only sound in the room as he glares furiously at Garp.

Finally, Garp takes a breath. And suddenly, he looks very tired and very, very old. "I'm sorry," is all he says.

"You're _sorry_?!" Ace shouts, flames springing to life across his shoulders.

And just when it looks like Ace is about to attack Garp, Luffy is suddenly between them, hands pressed against the Demon's chest. Immediately, Ace's fire goes out. He hasn't burned his brother since that day he asked Marco to teach him control. He doesn't plan to start now.

"Ace," Luffy says softly, gently pushing Ace back, putting distance between him and Garp. Ace's blood red eyes shift to Luffy's brown ones. "Ace. Ace, it's okay. Everything is okay."

Ace shudders and forces himself to take a deep breath, closing his eyes. Luffy pushes him down into a chair before climbing into his lap, wrapping his arms around the Demon's neck and holding him close. No one moves. No one breathes.

After a long moment, Ace's eyes open and they're brown again. His anger is gone, replaced by a deep, tired sadness.

"Why weren't you there?" he whispers brokenly.

Luffy turns slightly, brown eyes just as sad as his brother's, so that he can look at his grandfather.

Garp sighs heavily, shoulders slumping as he sinks to the ground. "You were dead," he says simply, sadly, "The waters around the island became forbidden territory, no ships could enter or leave. I tried to get you boys, I did. But nothing I did worked in the end. You have no idea how relieved I was when your bounty poster was released, Ace," the man says softly, eyes suspiciously wet.

Ace bows his head in acknowledgement but doesn't say a word. Luffy is looking thoughtfully at the marine, who looks him firmly in the eye. Suddenly the Angel smiles, his normal, bright, wide, happy smile. He gently kisses Ace's forehead before sliding off of his lap and walking over to Garp, plopping down in front of him.

"Na, Gramps," he says, grinning widely, "Wanna hear my adventures?"

And suddenly Ace is laughing, loud and hard, clutching his stomach, and Garp grins. Only Luffy. Pure, sweet, innocent Luffy. Only he is able to be like this. And just like that, the tension is gone from the air, Luffy launching into his story. Coby and Helmeppo chime in when he starts to stray and Luffy is reunited with them, grinning widely – proudly – at Coby. When the story resumes, Zoro starts jumping in, partially to correct facts and partially to translate for Luffy when he stars using too many hand gestures and sound effects.

Ace is content to sit and watch, a soft smile on his face. He notices the Straw Hats staring at him, eyes wide in disbelief. The Demon gives them a small, sad smile. "Just because he laughs and smiles all the time, doesn't mean he hasn't felt pain," he says quietly, so only they hear. He looks at Robin as he says it. Robin who is looking back at him with such shock and disbelief. Ace just smiles brokenly at them before turning back to his brother.

Eventually, Ace is pulled in by Luffy, dragged to sit next to the Angel as he prattles on about whatever it is. Then they start arguing and Garp is laughing at them. Instinctively, the marine reaches out and ruffles Ace's hair. The Demon freezes and Garp does to when he realizes what he's done. Before either of them have the chance to think about it though, Luffy is tackling them both to the ground, a rubbery arm wrapped around each of them.

And for a moment, everything is like it was before. Before the fire and death and isolation. Back when Garp would pound being a marine into their skulls and Luffy would yell back about being Pirate King and Ace would defend Luffy when Garp went to whack him upside the head.

Ace smiles softly at Garp, letting his eyes say what his lips won't.

_I missed you, Gramps._

Garp returns the gesture easily.

_I'm glad both of you are alive._

And Luffy just laughs.

* * *

The next day, after Garp and the marines have left, the Straw Hats are getting ready for breakfast.

When Garp left the other day, the brothers were back to their happy-go-lucky selves. Like Ace's outburst had never happened. And while the Straw Hats were curious, they knew this wasn't something they could just ask about. The pain that had shown in their captain's face was something they had never experienced before. And they weren't sure they wanted to see it again.

But if Luffy is content, then they are content as well. The Angel basically confirmed that Ace is his brother and reintroduced them all, felling the need to add that Ace has always been stronger than him, but he can totally kick the older pirates ass now. Ace just laughs at him and the crew rolls their eyes.

Usopp is still no where to be found. The crew has seen him around town, but he seems to be avoiding Luffy.

As Sanji finishes breakfast, he calls out. "Can someone get Luffy? I have no idea where that shitty captain has wondered off to now. And can they get Ace as well?"

"Perhaps Luffy is with Fire Fist-san," Robin comments, a small, almost knowing, smile on her lips.

"I'll go look for them," Nami says, getting up.

"Nami-swan is so beautiful when she's being helpful~!"

Nami doesn't reply as she walks to the guest room that has been given to Ace while he stays with them. She knocks on it lightly. "Ace?" she calls, moving to open the door, "Breakfast is ready if you want any. Is Luffy in he –"

The navigator freezes when the door opens, her eyes widening and he mouth going slack, heat rising in her cheeks. Luffy is, in fact, in Ace's room. The two are curled together on the bed, arms wrapped around each other, legs tangled together. Clothes are scattered around the room and the bed is a mess, a single sheet thrown haphazardly over their hips. Nami can't move she is so shocked, a small squeak escaping her lips.

"What's your problem, witch?" Zoro asks as he walks up behind her. The swordsman freezes as well, the same look of shock crossing his face.

Nami finally manages to snap out of it and pulls the door shut. She clears her throat awkwardly. "I, huh, don't think they will be joining us at the moment," she says.

Zoro just nods.

* * *

When Ace and Luffy finally emerge from their room, the crew is halfway through breakfast. Ace yawns and greets them while Luffy immediately starts protesting about them starting to eat without him; Sanji shuts him up by placing a plate full of food in front of him. The air around them is awkward but the brothers seem completely oblivious to it.

"So, um…" Nami says, face red.

Ace looks up at her, taking her red face, and a look of realization passes his eyes. "Oh, sorry. Did we wake you up last night? I thought we were pretty quiet," Ace says shamelessly, Luffy obliviously shoving food in his face.

"Oh no," Robin assures calmly, "You were fine."

Ace raises an eyebrow. "So how…ooooh. Someone went to wake us up."

"Indeed," Robin says with a sly smile.

Nami stands up and points an accusing finger at the older woman. "You knew!"

Robin just smiles calmly. Ace watches the entire scene with amusement. Luffy pauses in his imitation of a black hole to look at Robin.

"Were you watching us last night?" he asks, his tone not full of suspicion or mortification, but simple curiosity.

Ace breaks out in laughter when Robin just looks back at her captain, neither confirming nor denying. Luffy just shrugs and resumes eating.

"How can you be so calm about this?!" Nami asks shrilly.

Ace shrugs, amusement dancing in his eyes. "It's not like it's a new thing," he explains, "Our private life has never really been private. Makino has no qualms about walking in on us and pulling us off of each other. After a while, you stop getting embarrassed about it."

Luffy blinks. "Well you were pretty embarrassed that time That –"

Ace slaps his hand over Luffy's mouth. "Okay, that's enough out of you."

"I can't believe this," Sanji says.

"What? That he's not a virgin?" Zoro asks bluntly.

Ace snorts in amusement while Luffy just watches his crew.

"What are we talking about?" Chopper asks curiously.

The crew freezes.

"Sex," Ace says matter-of-factly.

Nami whacks him over the head, "What are you doing?!"

"He's a doctor!" Ace exclaims defensively, "He knows what sex is!"

"Ummm…Ace is right," Chopper says timidly in the face of Nami's anger, which cools instantly at the admission and is replaced with shock.

"I believe this might be the most interesting breakfast conversation we've ever had," Robin comments lightly.

"So what are you doing at this end of the Grand Line, Ace?" Luffy asks as he finishes cleaning his plate and sits across from his brother at the table.

Ace hums. "Gathering information for Oyaji," he says, adding after a beat, "On Blackbeard."

Luffy's features harden and he straightens up in his chair.

"Blackbeard?" Sanji asks, "Isn't he the one who sacked Drum?"

"Yes," Ace nods, "He's been stirring up trouble for a while now."

"We ran into him on Jaya," Zoro says.

Ace's head whips around to him. "What?!"

"He wanted our bounties," Zoro says with a shrug, gesturing between himself and Luffy.

"I don't like this, Luffy," Ace says seriously.

Luffy tilts his head curiously. The action looks odd with the serious expression on his face.

"I don't understand," Nami says, "What's the big deal? People go after bounties all the time."

Robin watches as Ace presses his lips together. "Unless there is more to the situation than we are aware."

Ace sighs. "Since you took out Crocodile, the government has been trying to find someone to replace him," he explains, looking directly at his brother, "Shanks told us that Mihawk provided him with intel that Blackbeard is making a move for the position. Knowing that and then learning that he was after your bounty doesn't sit well with me, Luffy."

Luffy presses his lips. "He wants something only the government can get him," he states.

Ace nods. "That's what Oyaji and Shanks think," he replies, "Given what he tried to do to Thatch, I'd say it's safe to assume that it just a power play on his part. He has something to gain."

"Who's Thatch?" Chopper asks.

The Straw Hats are listening to the brother's exchange, startled by the level of seriousness that Luffy seems to be treating it with.

"He's one of Whitebeard's commanders," Zoro answers.

"What happened to him?" Sanji asks, taking a drag from his cigarette.

"Blackbeard tried to kill him," Luffy says flatly, eyes still locked on Ace's.

There's silence for a moment as the crew tries to digest that. You don't just try to kill a Whitebeard pirate and then get away with it, that's not how things work.

"You can feel it, can't you, Ace?" Luffy asks softly, eyes flashing silver.

Ace nods, eyes flashing red in response. "The world has gone quiet."

"The world is still," the Angel says, "It's waiting."

"Something is going to change," Ace adds.

"Something is going to happen," Luffy agrees.

"The balance?" Ace asks.

Luffy nods. "It will shift."

"The world is waiting to see who gains favor," Ace says.

Nami puts a hand on Luffy's shoulder and shakes him lightly. "Luffy? Are you okay? You're talking strangely."

Luffy blinks up at her, the silver fading from his eyes. "Oh. Sorry, Nami," he says, reaching out for Ace's hand and giving it a tug, smiling when the red fades from his brother's eyes, "We were talking funny, weren't we?"

Nami nods silently.

"What exactly were you talking about?" Robin asks curiously.

Luffy shrugs. "Dunno," he says, "I can't remember."

Ace sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Just…be careful, okay, Lu? I'm uneasy."

Luffy smiles softly at his Demon. "It will be okay, Ace," he says, "Everything will be fine."

Ace tightens his hold on Luffy's hand. "We'll see," he says quietly.

* * *

"Do you have to leave?" Luffy whines.

Ace laughs up at his brother who is looking down at him from his perch on Sunny's railing. "I'm still in the middle of a mission, you know," he calls up from his Striker.

Luffy pouts. "No fair!"

Ace laughs again, turning to his brother's crew who are all gathered at the railing with their captain to see him off. "Keep him out of trouble, will ya?"

Zoro snorts. "Yeah right," he says.

"We are talking about the same person, right?" Nami deadpans.

"Luffy and trouble go hand in hand," Usopp says, waving a hand dismissively.

Ace just grins. "Looks like you're in good hands," he says.

Luffy grins back.

"See you in New World, little brother," Ace calls.

"See you at the Pirate Summit, Ace!" Luffy calls back, waving frantically.

Ace smirks and offers him a mock salute before starting up his Striker and shooting away from the Thousand Sunny.

Luffy just smiles after him, eyes gleaming, before turning to his crew and grinning widely, showing all of his teeth.

"Let's go!" he calls, jumping down to the deck, "Set sail!"

The Straw Hats grin. "AYE!"

* * *

**Wooooooo! Another chapter finished! Love it, hate it? Tell me!**

**I think next chapter is where we get to the serious canon divergence, I'm not 100% positive (I don't have my outline in front of me right now), but I'm pretty sure.  
**

**Until next time,  
**

**~Elri  
**


	5. Zenith

**Hello my lovelies!**

**Honeydee, guess what? I have finished the next part of Wild. YAY! XD**

**So here where things start to get a little crazy. Not a whole lot, but things are definitely going to start getting more interesting. Unfortunately, there is no Ace or Whitebeard pirates in this chapter. Sad day. But there is the Strawhat crew! Lots and lots of the Strawhat crew. So hopefully that will make up for it.**

**To my guest reviewers:**

**skittlelover3512:** I'm glad you like it! I know that kind of stuff is a bit out of character for them (at least in canon) but it's important for the plot and all that jazz, so I'm glad you like it. :)

**Guest(1): **Luffy is just precious, isn't he?

**Mittens919: **I updated! Sorry to keep you waiting!

**Guest(2): **Lol. I love Robin in those kinds of situations. XP You will have to wait and see if there will be ass kicking~

**Thanks for taking he time to review guys!**

**Warnings: PTSD, flashbacks, Luffy being slightly creepy and surprisingly articulate, Zoro being the best EVER**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. But I do own this. SO IF YOU STEAL IT I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND TAKE YOUR SOUL. Carry on.**

**ONWARD!**

* * *

_**~Zenith~**_

_Once the highest point is reached, everyone, even an Angel, is doomed to fall._

* * *

Luffy stares blankly at the slumbering form of his first mate.

Zoro is covered in bandages from head to toe and what little of his skin is visible is pale. So very pale. He looks dead except for the oh so subtle rise and fall of his chest. The sight of his first mate so utterly broken makes Luffy's eyes burn. Something in his chest is coiled tightly around his heart like a vice screaming '_It's your fault!'_ and he doesn't know why.

Reaching out, the Angel places a hand over the swordsman's heart, feeling the steady beat underneath his palm as Zoro breathes.

He doesn't know what happened.

And he _hates_ it.

Because when he woke up he felt fine, better than fine. Only to turn and see Zoro covered in blood, Sanji screaming for Chopper. There was so much _red_ and it was _everywhere_ even the ground. The soil and rocks surrounding his first mate had been dyed crimson.

He doesn't know what happened.

But he knows that the _pain_ Zoro now carries doesn't belong there. It doesn't. So why does Zoro have it?

He doesn't know.

And he _hates_ it.

But he promises his slumbering nakama that it won't happen again. Ever. Because nakama are forever. And he means to keep it that way.

Zoro shifts under his hand and Luffy draws back, surprised when he sees the swordsman's eyes half open and focused on him in their pain filled haze.

"Zoro," he whispers.

"Captain," Zoro grunts.

"Sorry I messed up," Luffy says softly, "I don't know what you did, and I won't ask you. But I know that the pain you're carrying isn't yours. And you're carrying it because I wasn't strong enough to protect you from it."

Zoro stares at him through half-lidded eyes for a long moment before sighing. "Don't be stupid," he says at last, "It was my choice."

"Sorry," Luffy repeats again. Because he is. He is so, so sorry he couldn't protect Zoro from this. And the knowledge that he couldn't makes him ache. He doesn't know what else to say.

Zoro grunts. "Shouldn't I be the one who's upset?" he asks with a mock glare on his face, "You guys went and celebrated without me."

That startles a giggle out of the Angel. "I tried to give you some sake, but Chopper said not to."

"Damn doctor," Zoro mutters with a scowl, making Luffy giggle again. "You can go to sleep you know," he says after a moment, "I'm not going to die."

"I know," Luffy replies without any hesitation, completely confident in the fact that if Zoro says he won't die then he won't, "But I want to watch you breathe."

If he had said that to anyone else, Luffy knows he would have gotten strange looks. But not from Zoro. Zoro understands him in a way most people can't; in some ways, Zoro understands him better than even Makino, who's known him his entire life.

The swordsman just rolls his eyes and reaches out, grabbing his captain by his shirt and yanking him down. Luffy lets out a squeak of surprise as he lands sprawled out on his friend. He feels Zoro flinch at the impact, but he doesn't let go, instead looping an arm around Luffy's waist and locking him in place. Luffy's head is on Zoro's chest, right over his heart. The steady thump-thump fills the Angel's ears and slowly, the vice around his heart loosens.

"Idiot," Zoro huffs, a fond tone to his voice as he cards a hand through his captain's hair, "Go to sleep."

And Luffy smiles because Zoro is alive and in the end, that's all that really matters.

* * *

Brook hums softly to himself in the crow's nest.

It's silent, the clear night sky filled with stars. It's a different kind of silence he's been stuck in for the past few decades. As strange as it sounds, this silence is _alive_. Brook can feel the life on the ship; something that has been absent for so long he almost forgot what it felt like. It makes the sensation all the richer.

It's his first time on watch since joining the crew. He's only been on the ship for a week and never once, not even for a moment, has he spent a single second of it alone. He actually looks forward to waking in the morning now, to hear the voices of his new nakama and feel the sun on his face. It's something he had stopped hoping for a long time ago. But he has it now and he doesn't plan on letting it go anytime soon.

A thump sounding behind him snaps him from his thoughts and he turns to find Luffy, eyes heavy with sleep and a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, standing behind him.

"Ah, Luffy-san," he says in surprise, "What brings you here in the middle of the night?"

The skeleton musician knows that the captain isn't on watch tonight, especially given that he has the last watch of the night.

Luffy blinks slowly, stifling a yawn. "Hi Brook," he slurs, walking over his new nakama, stopping by his side and grinning up at him sleepily, "I came to sit with you!"

"But Luffy-san, it is my turn for watch tonight," Brook says, confused.

Luffy sighs as he settles on the ground near Brook. "Silly Brook," he mumbles, "I'm not keeping watch; I'm sitting with you."

And without another word, the Angel falls asleep, curled into a ball on the floor only a short distance away from the musician.

It takes a moment, but Brook gets it. And when he does, tears fall from his non-existent eyes. He might be on night watch, but it's no reason to be alone. And in the silence that is now filled with his captain's soft snores, Brook smiles.

"Thank you, Luffy-san," he whispers.

He sings Bink's Sake into the night.

* * *

Luffy grins widely as he stares at his new surroundings. He's never been to Sabaody before. At least he doesn't think so. Maybe once. But that was in the time Before the After, so he doesn't really remember. He and Ace had been too cautious to leave the ship, not yet trusting the others enough for such an action. So this is a new whole adventure.

He likes Camie. She's nice, if not a little naïve. Be he's okay with that. Prefers it actually. It's nice to meet someone who isn't so…damaged. Hachi is here too. Luffy isn't too sure how he feels about that; he seems nice, but he was part of the group that had hurt Nami. Hachi is genuinely upset about it, Luffy can tell, and Nami seems fine with him tagging along so it's fine.

Hachi proves to be extremely helpful; he knows someone who can coat their ship. Luffy practically bounces in glee, he loves traveling under the waves. The Moby Dick has a permanent coating on it that can be activated whenever. Of course, the process is much more complicated than that, but Luffy doesn't really care that much about that; he just likes the results. Maybe he'll look into one for the Sunny. Or tell Nami to anyway.

But he can do that later because right now, he has to get ready for his new adventure.

"But in return for taking you to the ship coating specialist, I need you guys to promise me something," Hachi says seriously.

"Sure!" Luffy chirps, "What is it?"

"The Tenryubito will be walking around town," Hachi says.

And Luffy immediately loses all of his cheer. He freezes in place, unable to stop the images that single word projects into his mind. He remembers them. Remembers the pain and the fire and the blood and the death. He remembers the way they just sat there and grinned, saying that they _deserved_ it. That all of this death was their reward for defying the Decedents of the Creators of the World. His fists clench at his sides as his heart stutters in his chest, one part fear, one part rage. Somewhere in the back of his mind he can hear Usopp and Chopper asking who the Tenryubito are over the rushing in his ears. He's aware of Robin answering. But he can't think past it; can't fight past the anger and the hurt and the absolute horror he feels.

Suddenly, a hand comes down on his shoulder and Luffy's head whips around to see Zoro suddenly standing next to him. His first mate's gaze is steady and strong, his grip on Luffy's shoulder firm and unyielding.

_We're here._

Slowly, the Angel relaxes under his nakama's protective eyes. His fists unclench and when Zoro sees the shadows leave his captain's eyes, he nods, both in satisfaction and reassurance and releases his shoulder.

"No matter what happens in town," Hachi continues, face grave and eyes serious, "Promise me that you won't defy the World Nobles. Even if they shoot someone right in front of you, pretend you don't see a thing!"

The crew is stunned, even Robin, who is the most familiar with anything and everything relating to the Grand Line.

"Alright," Luffy's soft voice cuts through the sudden, tense silence.

When his crew turns to look at him, they all wonder why he looks like he just sold his soul.

* * *

Luffy's having a blast. The bubble bike is amazing. Maybe Nami will let him keep it. As he and Hachi race, he throws his head back and laughs and Camie cheers them on.

A sudden scream draws their attention.

There's a man holding a woman by the throat. The woman is begging, pleading to be released, desperately struggling in the man's grip. But the man is begging too, more desperately than the woman as he tugs at the collar around his neck. He pleads for anything that will release him, if not for his sake then the sake of his family.

"Don't get involved!" Hachi tells them quietly, "He's probably a pirate that was caught and sold by human traffickers. His master brought him to the island and he ran away!"

Luffy's insides go cold. And before he can even comprehend the meaning of Hachi's words the collar around the man's neck starts beeping, exploding only seconds later. The man screams once before collapsing in a broken, smoking heap. Luffy can't move, can't speak, can't _breathe_. He hears Brook and Chopper panic, wanting to go help the man. He hears Pappagu telling them not to do something so stupid. He hears the word Tenryubito leave Camie's lips and he is lost. He doesn't hear Hachi telling him to get off the bubble bike until the fishman starts pulling on his arm, dragging him down until he's kneeling on the ground. And even then, he can't seem to move his eyes away from the fallen man.

His eyes flash silver and his breath freezes in his chest as he sees the robes and the bubble helmets that have haunted his nightmares for the past decade. He can't move. He's rooted to the ground, unbelieving as he listens to them talk about this man's life like it was nothing but a toy.

_As he listens to them tell his family they deserve it._

He stares blankly, eyes silver, as the female Tenryubito kicks the man before shooting him in the head with a smile on her face.

_He watches as they walk over the bodies laughing._

He doesn't even realize they've left until Chopper is prodding him, looking up at him worriedly, and he suddenly realizes that he's breathing way too fast. He flashes his doctor a reassuring smile that doesn't reach his eyes and Chopper gives him an identical one in return. They are all shaken and Luffy feels numb.

Pappagu tells them the story behind the Tenryubito's power, and Luffy fights the urge to scoff, his paralyzing terror slowly being replaced with a burning rage.

It calms though as they reach their destination. Only to find that the ship coater isn't there. The woman, Shakky, is really nice though. She feeds them and tells them about the amusement park. She also tells them about people with high bounties on the island. Luffy doesn't particularly care, but maybe he'll be able to fight some of them before they leave. The amusement park is fun and Luffy finds himself wondering why he's never gone to one before. He'll have to tell Ace about them the next time they meet up. They really are fun.

But then everything goes downhill when Camie gets taken.

* * *

Hachi is bleeding.

Hachi tried to stop him and now he's bleeding.

He's hurt and he's bleeding and Luffy stares as the red pools on the stairs underneath his friend.

And the Tenryubito is smiling and dancing and _laughing_. Singing about how Hachi is _his_ and how he doesn't have to _buy him_.

Luffy's eyes flash silver as he stalks forward, eyes locked on the cheering Noble. Hachi grabs him stops him in his tracks and Luffy's mind isn't there anymore. He's back Before. Now it's not Hachi grabbing him, but Wood Slap, the Mayor of his hometown. He's lying on the ground, blood pooling under him and dripping from his lips as he clutches at Luffy's wrist.

"_L-Luffy! Y-you have t-oo ru-un! G-get out of he-re! Now! GO!"_

He still remembers the echo of the single gunshot in the chaos. He remembers the light leaving the Mayor's eyes. He remembers seeing the robe and the bubble helmet and the still smoking gun. He remembers that _grin_ and the _laugh_ that followed.

"D-don't get angry," Hachi chokes out, "It's…my…fault. You promised…not to cross the Tenryubito. Even if someone was shot…right in front of you. I was a pirate once! This is what I get for the bad things I did. I'm sorry…I didn't mean for this to happen. I wanted…to make it up to Nami," he whispers, "Even just a little. I j-just wanted to h-help you. In the end…I just caused you guys trouble! I'm sorry!"

Luffy almost considers stopping. Almost. For Hachi. But then he hears the sound of a gun cocking and he's in front of his friend, glaring at the Noble with silver eyes. He ignores everyone's words, blocks them out, as he stands, resuming his march toward the Tenryubito. The Noble actually seems to think he can stop him with a gun. Pathetic.

He pulls his fist back, sees the fire and the blood and the _death_, remembers all the years of pain and silence and suffering, remembers Makino's wounds and Sabo's smile and all of the nightmares that Ace suffered in silence so he could be there for his Angel. He remembers _everything_.

And he lets his fist fly.

He feels the satisfying crack of bone under his fist as he launches the Noble across the room, sending him crashing through the stands.

Everything seems frozen, lost in the sudden, deafening silence. He feels the satisfaction rolling off of his crew and knows without looking that Zoro already has a blade partially drawn and Sanji is balanced on the balls of his feet, both ready to charge at any moment. He's never been so proud of them.

"It's amazing really," he says indifferently as he places his hat on his head and relaxes his stance, silver eyes gleaming, "That someone as pathetic as you can command the marines. It's not very surprising though, that the marines are dogs to _trash._"

Zoro snorts and sheaths his sword. "Because you beat him up, I didn't get to cut him," he complains.

"Hachi, get a hold of yourself!" Nami says, kneeling by the fishman's side.

"You guys are in big trouble," Hachi rasps.

Nami glances up at her captain. She sees how he watches the room, almost like he's _daring_ anyone to dispute what he's just done. She grins.

"Oh well!" she chirps cheerfully, "It's Luffy. What are you going to do?"

Sanji smirks as he lights a cigarette. "Now then…"

"Looks like we've got no choice now," Franky says, but there's a grin on his face.

"I think the keys to Camie's collar should be somewhere in the back," Chopper contributes, "I have to tend to Hachi's wounds, so I'll leave that to you!"

Everyone is still too stunned to breathe. This man just _punched_ a Tenryubito and they act like it's nothing.

Eustass Kidd and Trafaglar Law are wearing matching smirks. After all, things have suddenly gotten so much more interesting.

The other Tenryubito suddenly snap out of their stupor and break the silence.

"Charlos-niisama!" the woman cries, "Even Father has never laid a hand on him!"

"How dare you lowly commoners touch my son!" the man roars, pulling out a gun and firing at Luffy with horrible aim, making the others present panic and start to flee, "We are descended from the Creators of the World! You'll see what happens when you mess with us – "

He's cut off as Sanji is suddenly there, kicking the gun out of the Tenryubito's hands, before launching himself at the guards. The rest of the crew is quick to join the fray.

Luffy stays still, staring down at the Nobles with gleaming silver eyes. "Oh look," he says tonelessly, "More trash."

"How dare you!" the male Tenryubito shouts furiously, "You cannot speak to us that way!"

Luffy tilts his head to the side as he begins to walk forward. "Why not?" he asks, "Because you are 'descended from the Creators of the World'?" Luffy snorts. "How arrogant of you," he says, eyes narrowing, "The World existed long before you were born and it will exist long after you die. In the eyes of the World, you are nothing more than an insignificant speck of dust that is easily lost in the wind."

"Such insolence!" the woman yells.

"We will not stand for this!" the man screams, face turning an odd shade of purple.

"You won't stand for it? Shame," Luffy says, drawing closer to the two Nobles, "You stand over everything else, even the law. Aren't you going to try and stand over me?" he asks, coming to a stop a short distance away from the Nobles.

The fighting has slowed, his crew watching him. The other two pirate crews are also watching with interest, everyone else having fled.

"Do you think you are a God, _mortal_?" the Angel asks, voice carrying over the noise in the room, "Do you think you are all powerful because you do not kneel to the law of a corrupt government?" Luffy grins then, but it's dark and malicious and the Tenryubito start to back away from him. "The Judgment of Mortals is so easily swayed, so easily tamed. But Judgment of the Divine? That's not something anyone escapes, my dear trash." He tilts his head to the side, his dark grin growing wider. "So really, if I killed you now, who would anyone be to object?"

The Nobles blanch and back further away from him.

"Y-you can't!" the man splutters.

"Oh? Why not?" Luffy asks, looking genuinely confused, "You can die just like everyone else. And in death everyone is equal."

Before a response can be formed, there's a cracking sound above them and Usopp is suddenly there, landing smack on top of the male Tenryubito. He blinks, all thoughts screeching to a halt as Usopp blankly apologizes to the Noble, a look of confusion on his face. The silver fades from Luffy's eyes and he can't help it, he laughs.

Zoro grins. "Better get to it, Captain," he says, "Or you'll miss all the fun!"

"No fair, Zoro!" Luffy whines before jumping into the fray, feeling lighter than he has his entire time on this island.

Zoro opens Camie's cage, now all they need are the keys. Only that last Noble is suddenly there, her gun pointed at Camie and she has no way to escape. Luffy feels the fury build in his gut again and he runs forward, fully intent on beating this woman for daring to even think he can attack his friends and go unpunished. Before he gets there though, the woman collapses, the gun falling to the ground leaving Camie unharmed.

The wall behind them is pulled open, revealing a giant. An old man steps forward, looking entirely too amused by everything. Luffy has no idea who he is, but there's something about him. Something important. There's this tugging in his gut and this warmth in his chest that reminds him of Oyaji. So he decides he likes this old man, especially when he frees Camie and takes out the rest of the guards without even blinking. This old man knows who he is and recognizes his hat. Does that mean he knows Shanks?

But he doesn't have time to think about that right now because the marines are already here. The old man, who is apparently Rayleigh the ship coater they have been looking for, says he'll take Hachi and they can meet back at Shakky's bar. Luffy supposes that's fine, Hachi is hurt after all. He feels a little guilty for breaking his promise to the fishman, but he'd do it again in a heartbeat. Hachi is his friend so he'll protect him with everything he has.

Things start getting loud outside and one of the pirates mentions that they are surrounded. It shouldn't be too much of a problem. The man in the long fur coat grins and says he'll take care of it. The one in the hat with the long sword is upset at being told what to do. Luffy is just curious. These two feel…different, interesting.

Robin explains who they are and it only makes Luffy more giddy. He follows them out to face the marines a grin on his face that the two captains can't understand. Especially when Luffy's eyes flash silver.

"I think I like you guys," the Angel says, "Let's meet in New World."

Law just smirks and Kidd sneers.

"If you think you can keep up," the red-head snaps.

Luffy's grin widens. He's decided he likes them. It'll be interesting meeting them in the future. He wants to fight them, or fight with them. They're strong. Their wills burn brightly.

The marines open fire and the three of them fight.

And Luffy laughs.

* * *

Rayleigh's plan is a good one. They need to let things calm down before they can move out. The island is in an uproar over what happened in the auction house. But Luffy doesn't regret a single second of it. For now, the crew will split up into groups and lay low, killing time until Rayleigh finishes the coating.

Seems simple enough.

But the crew should realize by now that when it comes to them, nothing is simple.

"Zehahahaha! Long time no see, Strawhat!"

Luffy freezes, his grin falling away as he and his crew turn to see none other than Blackbeard.

"You!" Nami yells, "You're that guy from Jaya!"

"He's the one who sacked Drum!" Chopper exclaims.

Luffy doesn't say anything. Something's different, wrong. He looks at Teach and he sees darkness and black and emptiness. Something's wrong. He doesn't know what it is, but it makes his stomach sink and his breath stop short.

"What do you want, Teach?" he asks, glaring.

"Ah, nothin' too special!" the man says with a grin, "You should join my crew! Become my nakama!"

Teach laughs again and his crew looks on with curiosity. Only the man with the large shotgun seems suspicious.

"No," Luffy says coldly, halting Teach's laugh.

Blackbeard's grin fades as the air around them grows heavy, almost stifling. Luffy's eyes glow silver as he stares Teach down.

The traitor sighs. "That's a shame, it would have been fun to be on the same crew," he muses, "But if you won't be my nakama, I guess I'll just have to use you in my grand plan."

Luffy feels a rush of cold go down his spine as Teach's crew backs away. He turns to Zoro, locking eyes with his first mate. Zoro glares back at him, furious. But Luffy is unyielding. So Zoro grits his teeth and scoops up Chopper with one hand and throws Nami over his shoulder with the other and gives Usopp a kick in the pants to get his ass in gear.

"Ah! Zoro-! What are you doing?!" Nami shrieks.

"Shut up!" Zoro growls, clearly not happy, "We're leaving."

And then he runs off, ignoring Nami and Chopper's protests.

"GET BACK HERE YOU SHITTY MARIMO! HOW DARE YOU TREAT NAMI-SWAN LIKE THAT!"

"Oi! Zoro-bro! Wait up! What's going on?"

"Yohoho! I don't understand at all!"

"Why the hell did he kick me?!"

Only Robin stays behind, glancing at Luffy. The Angel looks back at her blankly before giving her a slight smile. Robin still looks unsure, but nods and follows the rest of the crew.

Luffy turns back to Teach and cracks his knuckles.

Blackbeard grins.

And the world goes silent.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! DUN DUN DUUUUUUNNNNN~!**

**Sorry again for the lack of Ace. He'll be back next chapter, though, so you won't miss him for too long.**

**Thoughts? Concerns? World ending crises? Let me know!**

**Until next time,**

**~Elri**


End file.
